Life Keeps Going
by DevilPup
Summary: Sequel to After The Credits Roll. Senior year is a whole lot harder when you're dating a rockstar. Smitchie with Naitlyn and Jason/OC: Warning: Mentionings of sexual situations, though not detailed. Completed 10/9/08. Sequel Up: 11/12/08
1. Chapter 1

So by popular demand, the sequel is coming first. If you didn't read the Author's Note on ATCR, I'm going to do Caitlyn's POV after, since not as many people wanted it, and it will be easier to write, so if I end up not finishing it before leaving for college, I can get it done.

Okay, so we are jumping to October for when the last one ended. No one get too excited about the break up, please. I promise it will all work out in the end. I have plans, I tell you, plans! Jason is a lot more serious in this one, almost jaded now. And I needed at least _one_ realistic romance. :)

Oh, and could you guys suggest names for future characters. I have a lot of guy names I like, but not too many girls. Hence, how we ended up with Nicky & Nicole. We almost had two Rileys but I caught that one. Lol. Bree is silly, remember? And yes, people _do_ call me Breezy, just not that often.

**Disclaimer**: Bree does not own Camp Rock. BUT she does own Anastasia/Stas, Jacob, Nicky, Kevin, Riley, other characters mentioned in ATCR, impending bimbos that will enter, and any other characters that enter.

Warning: This is a sequel to After The Credits Roll. You may be lost if you don't read that one first.

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_After the credits roll…_

**Life Keeps Going**

Chapter 1:

So while I would _love_ to tell you Shane and I had lived happily ever after our first year together, I can't. We were normal, despite our freakish ability to harmonize together when singing, our inability to stay mad at each other for long, and Shane being one of the sweetest guys on the planet. We had our problems. He was still a famous pop star and I was still in high school.

The press had a field day with Nicole's outburst way back when. Okay, so to you it was only two months ago. However, once I started losing my good girl image, they thought it was okay to really dig deep and get the 'dirt' on us. People started questioning our age difference, whether or relationship was 'legal', etc.

By early October, life had already fast forwarded about 9 or 10 weeks since Camp Rock. School had started and life was getting stressful. Senior year was not as easy as I would have liked and was everything I had anticipated and more.

"I think I'm going to die." Caitlyn complained dropping her head on to the table in the cafeteria.

"I agree. But stop being so melodramatic." I said as I went back to trying to fill out my college application. "What qualifies me to be considered for their music program?" I asked Caitlyn, in all seriousness.

"Okay, why are you stressing so much? Cause that was a _really_ stupid question. I'm trying to get through this year, and you're worrying about things that aren't due for like 2 months." Caitlyn complained. "And I don't know, maybe the fact that you sang as a lead voice on a professionally recorded album by a professional record label that was a hit nation-wide?" She asked sarcastically. "Mitchie, why are you worrying? Bradley and Milo said they'd write us letters of recommendation, and they are like as good as we could get."

"I know that, Cait." I sighed, dropping my pen and giving up on the essay for the moment. "I just… I really want to get into this school."

She smiled. "Would the fact that Shane and Nate expressed an interest in this school have anything to do with that?"

"Or the fact that it's not far from Shane's family, so I'd be by people I know at one of the best music schools there are." I replied.

"Still comes down to Shane." She laughed. "How are you guys doing anyway? With the whole not seeing each other every day thing?"

I shrugged. "As good as you are, I guess."

"That good, huh?" She asked sarcastically. "I almost wish they'd go on tour again. We saw them more." She laughed.

"Nope. Shane promised me no tour this school year. Senior year is going to be hard enough without them being gone, Cait."

"Don't remind me." She groaned, "Seriously. Do I _need_ history to make music?" She whined.

"Yes. And you were the one who took AP American History, I told you not to." I laughed at her.

"Ugh. Subject change." She demanded.

I searched for a subject. "Um, our appointments… are today?" I suggested.

She groaned again. "I don't want to go." I laughed.

"Why? Are you afraid on the gynecologist?" I teased.

She glared at me. "They look at your… and… how are you not… freaked?"

I shrugged. "I'm sure once we're in there, I'll be the one freaking and you'll be going 'Oh, it's fine. Stop freaking'."

"Like normal?" She asked laughing.

I nodded. "Yup, like normal." I smiled.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly normal. By the time we got to the waiting room, I was freaking out, and so was Caitlyn. Mom was laughing at us and telling us to relax.

"This is your fault." Caitlyn glared at me.

"Well, we should have brought you back in January." Mom replied. "I wish you would have told me, Caitlyn."

"It was a mistake at the time, and I didn't want to own up to it." Caitlyn admitted.

"I understand that. But it's a good thing Mitchie told me. There could be something wrong." Caitlyn paled, but Mom didn't seem overly phased. "I don't mean to scare you, but it's the truth. Having sex increases your risk of certain things, sweetie."

Thankfully, the nurse called Caitlyn and me in be for she got more freaked out. The doctor suggested meeting Caitlyn and I together might ease our fears a bit. Our examinations would be separate, but our introduction/question session… thing… would be together.

"Hello girls. I'm Dr. Ignativa. But please call me Mary." She smiled sitting at her desk in front of us. She held out her hand to each of us and we introduced ourselves. "Mitchie are you married?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, it's a promise ring." I answered. "My boyfriend wears a purity ring, so this was his way of telling me he wants to wait for me."

She nodded. "Well, I guess I'll start with the easy questions. Are you virgins?"

Caitlyn blushed a bit, "I'm not. She is." The doctor nodded and wrote something in each of the folders in front of us.

"Caitlyn when was your first period?" She asked.

"Um, when I was… 11?" She said trying to remember.

It seemed as if the doctor was going to write down everything we said. "And when did you have sex for the first time?"

"December 25." She said.

I gasped. "You didn't tell me it was _on_ Christmas. You said while you were _there_ for Christmas!" I laughed at her.

Mary smiled. "Have you had sex since then?" Caitlyn shook her head no. "Okay, Mitchie. First period?"

"13." I replied.

"You were later then most." She commented scribbling more than just the number.

"Is that bad?" I asked nervously.

"Not necessarily. There are some girls who don't start until they're 16 or 17. It's just how your body works." She replied with a smile. "And you haven't had sex, correct?"

"Nope."

She continued to ask us questions, and Caitlyn and I came to the realization that we _don't_ share everything with the other. However, _now_ we had. Caitlyn went in first and came out looking a little freaked out. When I went in, my eyes widened a bit. When it was over, I was also a little freaked out, but not too much.

We went back into her office with Mom this time. "Both girls seem to be just fine. But, of course, we're going to run the tests. Now you mentioned birth control for the two of them?" The doctor addressed Mom.

"Yes." Mom said.

"I'm curious. Is this your decision or theirs?" She asked as she began filling out the prescriptions.

"Mitchie came to me about it. But, I'd like Caitlyn to go on it as well." Mom answered.

She nodded, but asked in an odd tone. "Mitchie, can I ask why?"

"Um, my boyfriend has an amazing career ahead of him, and I have a future, too. And well, a purity ring isn't a fail safe. Sometimes things get out of hand." I felt like I was being interrogated a bit.

"Well, if you do have sex any time between now and our next visit, be sure to make an appointment immediately." She said handing over the prescriptions.

We left and Mom could tell I was mad. "What's wrong?"

"She asked me about my ring earlier… and then didn't seem to believe I was a virgin, and then she was _curious_ as to why I wanted to go on the pill… like it's any of her business. I'm not going to cheat on Shane if that's what she was thinking." I vented. Mom just laughed at me.

"Why Don't you call the boys over for dinner?" Mom said as she pulled out of her parking spot. Caitlyn and I immediately pulled out our phones.

By the time we got home, the guys were in the living room watching a soccer game with Dad. Anastasia was currently away at college in Massachusetts. The distance was a bit straining on Jason, who seemed to have lost some of his hyper-ness with her gone and busy at college.

"Hey!" Shane put Jacob on the floor and stood to greet me. Nate followed suite. "I've missed you." Shane said holding me longer than necessary, but not unwanted.

"I'm missed you, too." I replied. We hadn't seen much of each other since school started. I was really busy with school work and applications. I was glad I had quit Barney's before leaving for Camp Rock last year. I don't think I could have survived working, too.

"How'd your appointment go?" I shuddered in his arms. "That good, huh?" I glared at him while he laughed.

"Where's Jason?" I asked, realizing the other member of Connect 3 wasn't there.

"He's, uh, kind of locked himself in his room this past week." Shane said softly. "We told him to come, that he needed to get out, but he insisted we come without him. He didn't want to ruin the mood."

I felt my eyes soften with sadness. Jason really missed Anastasia. I could only imagine how hard it was for him when Caitlyn and I were still near and not quite as busy as college student. "Poor Jase. I'm going to hang out with him all day tomorrow. So, give me a ride and then leave your apartment." I instructed him. "He's probably missing Stas a lot, huh?"

"At this point I'm kinda wishing she never came in the picture." Shane said a bit heatedly. I pulled away from him, looking confused. "Let me guess, you can agree with her?" He asked frustrated.

"Shane, she's busy. It happens. Jason's not going through anything Caitlyn nor I went through while you were on tour. There's only so much that occupies your mind while your boyfriend, or girlfriend, is off doing their own thing and having little to no time for you."

"She didn't tell you." He realized. "Neither of them told you. Does Caitlyn know?" He wondered aloud.

"Know what?" I asked confused.

"Mitch, Stas _broke up_ with Jason last week." I just stared at him for a good minute.

"What?!" I practically screeched. "Shane, that's not funny. Don't kid like that." By now, everyone had come in the living room to see why I screamed.

"I'm not. Nate," Shane turned to Nate who looked less than thrilled to be in the middle of a Shane-Mitchie argument. Despite our argument, I had to smile as Nate's arm held Caitlyn close to him. They'd been really inseparable since they made up 3 months ago. I didn't want to think that another one of my friends was hurting like they had not too long ago. "Did Stas break up with Jason?"

"What?!" Caitlyn cried. "That's not funny, Shane."

"I'm not lying!" He said frustrated. "Nate."

Nate sighed. "He's not lying. She broke up with him last week. He called her, she was studying. He said something like 'Baby, just take a break and talk to me. I haven't talked to you in like weeks.' She yelled back at him. 'Well, forgive me for missing you.' He said back, she yelled again. He said 'If that's what you really want, then fine.' Then she must've hung up because he sat there looking at the phone for almost an hour."

"Did he say 'Stas broke up with me' or did he say 'I think Stas broke up with me' or did he say 'Stas hung up on me!'?" I asked.

Shane sighed. "He said she said 'Jason, I can't take this okay? I have to study and worry about school I'm sorry. This just isn't working. May be we should take a break or break up or something, I don't know. I just, I need space and time and to be alone.' That sounds like a break up to me."

"Not necessarily. People take breaks all the time. We have, they have." I gestured to Nate and Caitlyn. "They'll get back together." I said confidently. To prove my point, I called Anastasia.

"Hello?" She answered, tired and cranky.

"Hey, Stas-"

"Listen, Mitchie. I can't talk, okay? I'm sorry for hurting Jason, but I just can't handle him and school at the same time, okay? Just leave it alone." She hung up on me.

"Wow." I said looking at the phone. "She hung up on me. I've never known Stas to be like that. She must be pretty stressed." Caitlyn nodded in agreement.

"Well, I guess that settles it. Stas broke up with Jason. Can we eat now?" Nate asked. "And no, I'm not being insensitive, I've just been being sensitive to Jason all week, I can't do it anymore."

I nodded my head sadly and we headed into the dining room. "This is different." Dad commented. "Just my daughters and their boyfriends." He made a face and started eating. Caitlyn and I looked at each other with weird expressions. Did Dad really just call Caitlyn his daughter? I smiled at Caitlyn and she smiled back.

"So what was all the excitement about?" Mom asked looking around the table at us.

"Jason… and Stas broke up." I said.

"Oh poor, Jason. How's he doing? He didn't break up with her, did he? I can't see that happening."

"Honestly, Momma T? Miserable." Nate said. After being like a second mother to the guys and Caitlyn for a year, Nate thought it might be appropriate to give Mom her own unique name. He randomly walked into the kitchen, and said 'Hey, Momma T.' Except for Anastasia, they had all started calling her that. Except for Shane, who would occasionally just call her Mom.

Mom smiled at her nickname, but frowned at the answer. "I'm gonna bake him some cookies later. I'm assuming you guys are going to hang out after dinner?"

"Of course." Shane said smiling brightly. "Haven't seen our girlfriends in like a week."

"So clingy." I rolled my eyes playfully.

Shane leaned over and kissed my cheek. "You know you love it." He replied. I smiled, knowing I did.

After dinner, we helped Mom bake cookies. I couldn't stop thinking about Jason, though. I couldn't believe Anastasia would just break up with him like that. I had the feeling that everything that had fallen into place would quickly begin to fall back out.

Love it? Hate it? don't really care either way?


	2. Chapter 2

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Oh wow. Overwhelming much? Within 3 hours I got 60 reviews. Thanks guys. Was totally surprised at all the story adds right off the bat. I know these first few are going to be a little short, but they should get longer as I get into the flow of this one. This will connect the dots for you all who read the teaser in ATCR. Enjoy. Oh, and you won't be getting as 'speedy' of updates on this one. My mom is having knee surgery tomorrow meaning my time went from immense to tight. But I promise to try to give you at least one update a day, and if I get two chapters written around the same time, I'll post both.

And to clear up ages: Mitchie is 17 -18 in April- Caitlyn is 18, Stas 18, Shane is 20 -almost?- Jason is 20, Nate is 19 -almost 20.

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Chapter 2:

I was happy as I bounced in my seat, waiting for Shane to park. "Would you chill?" He laughed.

"I haven't seen Jason in weeks! I've missed him. I talked to him on the phone like, a week and a half ago, and that was it." I began pouting. I was also feeling bad. He was one of my best friends, and had been there for me through all of my problems with Shane. I've always helped Nate when ever I could with Caitlyn -even when I couldn't tell him something, I'd hint to Shane for Shane to tell him. I should have been there to help Jason, too. While Nate was the one who didn't know when to stop acting so indifferent and to show his girlfriend what she meant to him, Jason was the opposite. He wasn't quite as bad as Shane, though I don't think anyone tells their significant other they love them quite as much as Shane told me. He did however make sure Anastasia knew how he felt, and wasn't always as serious and aware as he should have been.

I was surprised that she broke up with him. Seriously, she was the first girl that didn't drool all over him, say 'Awe, your so cute. I think we have the same IQ!' and actually had an IQ above airhead. I liked Anastasia, she'd become one of my best friends. It hurt that she didn't tell me, though. Oh well. I was going to cheer Jason up.

"Jason!" I yelled walking into his apartment. Shane laughed.

"I'm gonna go grab my guitar and head back to your house. Your Dad wants to learn how to play. So, I'm also stealing yours out of your room." He said while heading into his room and coming back. "I'll pick you up later?" He asked. I nodded and kissed him good-bye.

"Jason!" I called again, heading into his room. "Jase?" I asked as I looked around. A shocked gasped escaped my lips. "I… I didn't know you had company…" I said looking anywhere but at the entwined pair on the couch in Jason's bedroom.

"Mitchie-" Jason was quick to say, standing up. "I…" For a split moment, I felt like the girlfriend he was cheating on, though I wasn't and he wasn't cheating. She'd broken up with him.

"Who's that, baby?" The annoying voice of the girl on the couch said. I wanted to gag when she called him baby. No, he wasn't her 'baby'. And the way she said it made it sound disgusting and not intimate and cute like it always had around my friends.

Jason wisely ignored her when I gave him an incredulous look. "Mitchie, I can explain." He pleaded. I pulled him out of his own room and into Shane, closing the door behind us.

"Start explaining, Romeo. Cause I'm having a hard time believing you would be doing what I just saw."

"You don't know the whole story, Stas bro-"

"Broke up with you, I heard. Why didn't you tell me? I didn't believe Shane when he told me." I shook my head. "That's beside the point. How could you do that with _that_. I thought you were in love with Stas?"

"I am." He sighed dramatically, sitting dejectedly on Shane's bed. "But she… I don't know what I did wrong." He said. "We never fought or anything. I know I'm not the most… all there person in the world, but she knows that. She knows I'm an airhead most of the time. She didn't care until now. I felt like… here I found someone who understands me and isn't in love with my best friends." I looked at him slightly confused and taken aback. Jason didn't… did he?

"Jason, what does that mean?" I asked nervously.

He looked confused. "Oh! No, Mitchie, no. Not what I meant." He said quickly. "I meant, that you and Caitlyn are the only two girls I've ever met that really understand me and don't judge me for it. I mean, maybe if you guys weren't with Shane and Nate, then I might have liked you like that… but you were, and I never did… you guys are like my sisters. You have been since day one." He explained. I smiled.

"Okay. Now, explain to me how, if you love Stas so much, you were in there with the bimbo." I demanded.

"I miss Stas." He said softly. "I never had a problem being the fifth wheel until I wasn't anymore. Then once I knew what it was like to experience everything you guys do, I couldn't bare to watch it. I was hoping I could get over her, that it was just that she was the first girl that I ever liked that much. First girl I ever loved. She's made it pretty clear she doesn't want anything to do with me at this point."

"Well, the only way you're going to get over a girl like Stas is to date another girl like Stas… someone with a brain and who wants to be with Jason, not _Jason Bishop of Connect 3._" Gesturing to the wall between the two rooms, I said "_That_, does not have a brain nor does she want to be with my best friend Jason."

"I get it. Can I just clone you and Cait in one person? That'd be like the perfect girl for me." He said laughing lightly. I smiled sadly. The perfect girl for him just broke his heart into a thousand little pieces.

"Alright, go take the trash out, and I will go get supplies for a movie marathon ready, okay?"

"What trash?" He asked confused. "And can that wait, cause I have to go tell Mindy to leave." I smiled trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, Jase. Of course." He left the room and I smiled widely. Good old Jason.

Nate came home about three or four hours later and found Jason and I curled up on the couch together, watching Gone With The Wind. He sat down next to us, having no idea what we were watching, just happy to see Jason out of his room.

"What is this?" He finally asked.

"Gone With The Wind." I answered. "You've never seen it?"

Nate shook his head. "Isn't it like 6 hours long our something?" He asked.

I shook my head laughing. "Nope, only 4, roughly."

"Jason can pay attention that long?" Nate asked me quietly. I laughed and hit him lightly.

"It's one of the greatest love stories of all time." I replied.

"Except for the fact that he doesn't come back in the end and she's crying 'Rhett, Rhett!'" Jason added.

"That just makes it real. Life doesn't always have happy endings. Especially not during the civil war."

"That explains a lot." Nate said as the town was being burnt to the ground.

When Shane came in a while later, we were still watching the movie, except now, I had my head on Jason's shoulder with Nate's head on a pillow in my lap. I think he stood there for a while with the most confused look on his face. "What the hell?" He finally asked.

"What?" We said turning to look at him.

"What, man, we're trying to watch the movie." Nate said impatiently. I smiled, looking down at him. He was really getting into the movie.

"Why is your head in my girlfriend's lap?" Shane asked, still confused.

"Because it's comfy." Jason answered. I stifled a laugh while Shane glared at him.

"I'm going in my room. You enjoy Gone With The Wind." Shane disappeared. It was about 5 minutes later we realized Shane recognized the movie.

"SHANE!" I yelled.

"What?" He came running out of his room seeming alarmed.

"You've seen Gone With The Wind?" I asked smiling innocently.

He glared at me. "It's Mom's favorite movie. I could probably recite it for you." He answered honestly. I awed. See, you're always learning things about your significant others.

"Okay. You can go back to your room now." He glared again as he did so. I chuckled. These were my boys. I had a small glimpse of the future at that moment. I could clearly see them all still being the exact same though older. Shane still being the drama queen he is at heart, Nate still being the indifferent, aloof one, and Jason still being the loveable clueless airhead.

It wasn't until much later, and a new movie, that Shane joined us again. He looked at me with curiosity in his eyes. I was now the one laying. I had my head in Jason's lap and my feet in Nate's. He didn't say anything, he just smiled.

"What are you watching now?" He asked. We all shrugged. "You don't know what you're watching?" We shook our heads no. He started watching as well, though none of us knew what the name of the movie was or really what it was about.

Later, when Shane was driving me home, he kept looking at me weird. "What?" I finally asked.

"I don't know. It just amazes me how _at ease_ you are with my best friends." He admitted.

"Shane, I've known them for over a year. I'd hope I'm comfortable around them. The fact that they've spent enough time with my family to refer to my mother as their mother _kinda_ hints at that." I laughed slightly confused.

"No, I know." He smiled. "I mean, like they aren't my friends that you're friends with, too. You act like you've known them forever. It was weird enough to see Nate laying on you earlier, and then you laying on both of them. And I wasn't jealous. It was like I was seeing you hanging out with your brothers or something." He explained.

"Oh. Well, they are like my brothers. Jason called me his sister today." I smiled. "Of course that was after I walked into his room where he was making out with some bimbo." I said, slightly upset.

"What?" Shane looked at me quickly before turning back to look at the road.

"When I went in his room, he was on his couch… with some skank's tongue down his throat." I growled. I was still very protective of my Jason. More so since he was clearly on the rebound.

"When did that happen? He hasn't left the apartment in two weeks, much less his room."

I shrugged. "I don't know." I muttered, now upset. "I mean, I walked in and like gasped and he's all 'Mitchie… I can explain.' And then I dragged him into your room and then he's all 'I just want to get over Stas' and then I tried to explain to him the only way to do that is with someone with a brain…"

Shane laughed awkwardly. "You sound jealous, Mitch."

"What?" I squeaked. "No. Don't even say that." I warned. "I started freaking out when he said she was the first girl he met that understood him and wasn't in love with his best friends."

"What?" Now Shane sounded jealous.

"Exactly. He said that wasn't what he meant. That if we weren't together from like the very beginning, then maybe he would have ended up liking one of us, but that he never did because he saw us as sisters immediately." Shane was still gripping the steering wheel tightly, despite that he had pulled into the drive way almost a minute ago. "Relax. We just need to either get Stas to make up with him or get him over her, okay? Besides, even if he did have feelings for me or Caitlyn, he'd never make a move. That and I love you. I could never do that to you." I said forcing him to look at me.

He smiled softly at me, but I could still see a hint of doubt in his eyes. "I love you, too." He kissed me before I got out of the car.

I leaned against the front door of my house trying to figure out what just happened. Somehow I just gave my boyfriend reason to doubt our relationship when 10 minutes prior he was amazed at how comfortable I was with his best friends.

I sighed and headed up to my room to work on my schoolwork. Caitlyn was passed out on her bed as I sat at my desk. School was hard for her this year. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at this point.

"Hello, Calculus. I hate you, you hate me. Let's see if I can at least understand you." I said quietly to my text book and began my math homework.

Caitlyn found me passed out, face down in Calculus the next morning. She chuckled as I finally looked at her. "You've been saying Calculus would be the death of you, but I never thought you meant literally."

"Don't start, Cait." I whined. It was early on Sunday morning and I hadn't slept much. Surprisingly, I worked on that stupid homework for almost two hours I think, before passing out. That was partly because I didn't really care what the derivative of the stupid function was nor did I know how to find it. But mostly because I couldn't stop thinking.

"What's wrong?" She asked suddenly on alert, sitting next to me at her own desk.

"I just can't shake this feeling that life is changing. Very quickly. And not for the better."

"What happened?" She asked. I dutifully told her everything that had transpired the day before. She seemed a bit perturbed that her boyfriend's head had been in my lap, but let it go.

When I finished I sighed. "I don't have those kinds of feelings for Jason." I said firmly, and it was the truth. "He's like my brother, my best friend. I'm worried about him. I'm protective of him. Unfortunately, I don't have a _real_ brother to use as an example. I'm just worried Shane is going to freak out on Jason."

She shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Well, I woke you up for two reasons. 1 because you looked totally uncomfortable. 2 because I want to go shopping." I chuckled and headed off to take a shower.

I could only hope that everything would blow over and nothing would get out of hand. But who was I kidding? I was dating one and best friends with the other members of Connect 3. Of course my life couldn't be simple.

A week later, a tabloid released a horrifying article. The headline caught Caitlyn attention, of course. "_Connect 3 __reconnecting_?" Curiosity and worry got the better of us and we opened the tabloid, as the cover had an old picture of Jason and me.

"_Jason Bishop is single again. Well, possibly. He recently split with his girlfriend of 9 months. While playing the rebound with an unknown, best friend and band mate Shane Grey's girlfriend Mitchie Torres unexpectedly came over. The insider says Torres 'seemed really upset and hurt that I was there. Like he was cheating on her.' She continued to say that Bishop tried to explain to Torres what was happening, and took her into another room to do so. Torres' boyfriend Grey lives with Bishop, making it not too questionable for her to be in the apartment. The better question is why was she there alone, calling out Jason's name? That's exactly what we were wondering."_

"Are you freaking serious?" I yelled.

Caitlyn tried to calm me down while we were still in the middle of a crowded New York City street, walking to the guys' apartment. We had taken the train in to surprise them. "Come on, freak out when we get there." She said nudging me along.

I was fuming when we entered the apartment. I pushed past my boyfriend, magazine firmly in my grip. "Nice choice in girlfriends, Jase." I threw the magazine at him. He looked up at me with wide, confused eyes. "Now the whole world is going to think you and I are together and that I'm cheating on Shane."

"What?" Shane asked, taking the magazine from Jason. "How the hell… nice one, Jason." Shane growled before storming off into his room.

"It's not his fault." Caitlyn said sympathetically.

I sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, Jason. I just… Shane… and… ugh. This is going to be a painful week." He smiled slightly at me and I headed into Shane's room.

"You okay?" I asked, leaning against the door frame.

Shane lifted his head off the bed, much like he always did. "Do I look okay? That's going to be a nightmare to deal with. When Nate gets home he's going to go ballistic. I'm surprised we haven't gotten a phone call from Stacy flipping out yet." If you don't remember, Stacy was the boys' press manager.

"She probably doesn't know about it. It caught Cait's attention as the guy was putting it up on the stand. It's a little known magazine." I sat next to him, playing with his hair.

"Mitchie, just… I can't believe I'm asking this and don't get mad… there isn't anything go on between you two, right?" He asked looking at me worriedly.

"No." I said softly looking him directly in the eyes. I leaned down and kissed him. "The only guy I want is currently pouting at me."

He stopped pouting quickly. "This is going to suck." he groaned again.

"How do you think I feel, Shane?" I asked, slightly annoyed. "The world is going to think I'm cheating on you, and I'm a slut, and… ugh. Stupid little, freaking… ugh." He quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think of how this was going to bother you." He laid his head against my shoulder.

"What?!" Nate screamed from the living room. A moment later, he appeared in the door, looking beyond pissed. "What the hell is this?" He held up the magazine.

"Jason's poor taste in bimbos." Shane replied sarcastically.

"This is going to be a nightmare." Nate sighed. I groaned and walked past Nate into the living room. "What's her problem?" Shane must have given him a look, because it was followed by an "Oh." Nate smiled apologetically at me as I curled up into a ball in the chair.

"Stupid Stas." I mumbled as the tears started falling. Caitlyn sat on the arm chair, stroking my hair as I cried.

Jason seemed to be in his own world, looking serious for once in his life. He had a look of serious concentration and wasn't paying any attention to Shane and Nate whispering to one another while watching me cry. This was worse than anything the magazine's had thrown at us yet.

Signs numbers 10732 and 10733 I need a reality check: I can't sleep because I'm writing this story in my head as I try to and I've stopped imagining half of the characters as the characters and as the actors. Mostly Mitchie/Demi. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, if there are typos, I don't care. I can barely see straight, but wanted to make sure I got you a new chapter tonight/this morning because my mom's surgery is later this morning, and I don't know if I'll be able to get you one later tonight. (Wed). Okay? Okay. Enjoy. I don't remember if anything needs explaining. Too tired think.

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Chapter 3:

Have I mentioned how much I _love_ high school? No? Hmm. I just _love_ how they like to be in everyone else's business. I received so many hateful glares from everyone. Rosie felt the need to call me a slut and a whore in front of everyone. I left school early that day, having broken down in tears. Shane came and picked me up, surprising those who saw me leave with him.

I cried so much that week. I felt horrible, too, because Shane's birthday was in a few days, and I was miserable. Jason had been acting strange since the day we read the article. Caitlyn and Nate were trying to just stay out of way to avoid any drama.

"Hey, Shane?" Jason asked, coming into Shane's bedroom, where he and I were.

"Yeah, Jase?" Shane asked looking up from where he was laying on his side. He was exhausted, and I knew it. I felt even worse because it was my fault. I hadn't been able to sleep in the last few days, and he stayed up texting me or on the phone with me until I cried myself to sleep.

"Um, the party is still Saturday, right?" He asked.

Shane nodded. "Yeah. Is that it?" He asked, and looked back down at me, before looking at Jason again. Right now, I was crying again. Jason nodded and left.

Why was I crying so much? Maybe I was being melodramatic, but come on. Everything the press threw at us previously was nothing. I figured if I had made it through the first year of dating a pop star, I could handle it forever. I thought it would only get easier. Nope, I was wrong. Because everyone hated me. And it was for something that wasn't true, and there was nothing _I_ could do about it. I put my boyfriend's band's image in jeopardy. My boyfriend's press manager _hated_ me.

It wasn't a little known fact that Jason and I were close. While we were on tour, cameras caught a lot of moments between Jason and I goofing off. Shane or Anastasia were usually in the background laughing as well. But now every innocent moment between Jason and I was being called into question. I knew Shane wanted to believe me there was nothing between Jason and me. But I could read him better than he thought. I could see the slightest doubt in him. I cried even more over that. I had no way of proving that I had no feelings for Jason and nothing was going on.

The worst part about my hysterical crying today? Tomorrow was Shane's birthday. I hadn't managed to get him a gift, once again. That just made the tears fall harder. I sighed and I rolled over on my back, continuing to let the tears slowly roll down my face.

"Baby," Shane sighed softly. "Stop crying, please? I can't take seeing you like this anymore."

I looked up at him as he brushed tears away. "Shane?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" He asked looking me in the eyes.

"Do you _really _believe me?" I know I looked and sounded immensely broken at that point. I had to have, because that was exactly how I felt.

He paused, his eyes never leaving mine. He thought for a good minute. "Absolutely." He replied. For the first time since I told him about what occurred, I finally saw no signs of doubt or apprehension is his eyes. I sighed deeply and rolled over, allowing myself to hide and get lost in his arms. "I love you, Mitchie." He whispered in my ear.

I kissed his throat, with my head still buried under his. He groaned. "I owe you many an amazing birthday present once we're married." I said softly.

He chuckled, "Why's that?"

I kissed his neck again, between the column and his jaw, biting slightly. When he moaned I smiled against his neck. "That's why. Then I can give you a birthday present I know you'll absolutely enjoy."

"Oh?" He said laughing. "Baby, that just made me want to marry you even sooner." He teased. I shrugged in his arms.

"What _are_ you doing for your birthday?" I asked, realizing we didn't have plans for the actual day. We had planned a party for the next night.

"_We_ are going out to dinner with my parents and siblings and their attachments, who are driving down."

"Attachments? Shane, a. they have names. B, you could just say significant other if you didn't want to say boyfriend/girlfriend." I teased him. He smiled at me and I could see he was happy that I was in a better mood.

"Okay, a. I don't know their names, and b. what fun is that?"

"_A._" I laughed at our inane conversation. "You _do_ know Riley's name. He's your friend!" I laughed at him. "And Kevin has been with Savannah since before you went on tour, how do you not remember her name?"

He shrugged. "Why should I remember a girl's name who might not be around forever?" I just looked at him. "What? Okay, fine. If they make it to a year, I promise to make an effort to remember her name longer than the time I'm around her." There was a comfortable silence for a moment. "And don't ask where we're going, I don't know yet."

The sudden realization that we'd be going outside of my house, his apartment, or my school had me on edge immediately again. "Um, why… um… why don't we… make dinner for your family?" I said desperate to avoid going out.

"Mitchie…" He sighed. "You can't hide forever, baby." He said softly.

I sighed. "I know. But, don't you think that would make it more special and personal? I'll get a recipe from Mom…"

"Fine. But you better be in the absolute _best_ mood. Promise?" He agreed, wanting me to be comfortable and enjoy his family's visit.

"Promise. I haven't seen your parents in so long." I said thinking back.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I saw them that week I went un after Camp and that was it." As he thought, he realized, "What are we going to do with Nate and Jason? I love 'em, and all, but I want it to just be the 8 of us."

"My house… duh." I said laughing slightly. He started tickling me, and most of my remaining moodiness faded away.

I must have fallen asleep, because awhile later, I heard Shane whispering on the phone. "Yeah, she's knocked out. I know. She wasn't. Uh huh. I will. Love you, too, Momma T."

"Shane?" I whispered sleepily.

He smiled at me from the doorway. "Hey, sleepy head. Go back to sleep."

I had been laying on my stomach with my arms folded against my chest. I reached one hand out, opening and closing it, beckoning to him. "Baby, come here." I pouted. He smiled again and quickly made his way over to me, shedding his clothing as he did. I looked at my self and realize he had taken my jeans off of me. I was laying on his bed in my shirt and underwear. I blushed for a moment, before gaining one of my random streaks of confidence. I crawled under Shane's blankets as he stepped out of his jeans. He was about to pull back the covers when my shirt landed on his face.

When he took it off, he looked at it for a few moments before looking at me. "You amaze me." He said laughing and climbed into bed with me. I shivered as he pulled my back against his chest. The skin to skin contact was definitely something we hadn't exactly dealt with prior to now.

Sure, hands slipped under shirts, but _this_? This was different. I could feel almost every inch of his body touching mine. There was so little clothing between us. And yet, he nuzzled my hair for a moment before falling asleep. I smiled and fell asleep as well.

"Mmmm…" I mumbled in my sleep, feeling someone kissing my shoulder, though at the time, I thought it was in my dream. "Shane…" I half-moaned. I felt lips smirk into my shoulder. "Mmm… don't stop." I pouted at dream Shane.

"Mitchie…" Real Shane blew in my ear. "Baby, wake up." He said softly.

"What?" I said finally waking up.

"What were you dreaming about?" He asked smirking at me.

I blushed. "Nothing." He scoffed lightly, running his hand over my stomach.

"Ya know, I like your new choice in pajama's better." He teased me.

"Yeah, well, too bad you won't be seeing anything else until we're married." I teased, moving away from him and slipping out of bed. He just laid back on his bed, watching me get dressed. He was smiling as he did so.

"You gonna sit there and fantasize or you gonna get dressed and take me home?" I laughed at him. He smirked but got up. I blushed seeing his boxers poking out a bit. "I'm gonna… go… out… there…" I stuttered trying not to smile or blush too much and headed to the living room as Shane got dressed.

Many hours later, Shane was setting the table in the dining room area of the apartment that was almost never used. I was putting the final touches on dinner as the buzzer for the door downstairs rang. "That's probably them." Shane said, letting them up.

I nodded, suddenly nervous. What if they hated me again? What if they believed the article and didn't want me to be with Shane anymore? I was freaking out in my own world when Shane wrapped his arms around me. "Relax, okay?" He said gently in my ear. "You promised." He said nibbling on my earlobe ever so slightly.

"I know. Sorry." I breathed just as a knock sounded on the door. Shane answered it, and was pushed aside by his sister.

"Mitchie!" She cried, hugging me tightly. "I've missed you!"

"Hey, Nick. Yeah, I missed you, too. Oh, yeah, thanks. It _is_ my birthday. Really? Oh yeah, Mitchie's here, why don't you attack her?" Shane said to the wall. Nicky laughed and hugged her brother.

"Riley." Shane said shaking his hand. "Kev." He hugged his brother, as I hugged Riley hello.

"Savannah!" I cried, knowing Shane forgot her name again. "Haven't seen you in forever." I said giving the girl a polite hug. Shane smiled gratefully at me. The moment of truth came as Shane's parents entered.

I bit my lip nervously until Mrs. Grey hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry to hear what they've been doing to you." She cried. "They're idiots! I can't believe they would write those lies."

I hugged her back just as tightly, whispering to her, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I thought you'd believe them and hate me or something."

"Nonsense." She replied entering the apartment further. I greeted Mr. Grey as well, leading him to the kitchen to put Mrs. Grey's cake down. They all sat down at the table. While Shane and I brought out dinner.

"Mitchie, did you make this?" Mrs. Grey asked groaning in delight. I smiled. "I know Shane can't cook, so you must've."

"I did. My mom gave me her recipe. Shane did help, though." I answered,

"We've proven I can at least measure things." Shane chuckled, looking across the table at me.

"She can sing, she can cook…" Mr. Grey praised. "What can't you do?" He teased.

"I swear, sometimes it's hard to remember you're only 17." Mrs. Grey sighed, smiling happily.

I smiled. "Yeah." I shrugged.

Nicky laughed. "It's like she's the 20 year old, and Shane is the 17 year old." Shane glared at her while I smiled, nodding in agreement.

"So, you guys are staying for the party tomorrow, right?" Shane asked, changing the subject.

"Definitely!" Nicky replied for all of them.

"Is it weird I let my 15 year old sister party with me?" Shane asked me, suddenly.

I laughed. "No. What about your brother?" I asked.

"He's a _guy_. It's okay to party with my younger brother." Shane replied, as if that made total sense.

Nicky rolled her eyes at him while everyone else laughed.

Dinner went smoothly and Shane dropped me off, not too long after. I wanted to spend the night, but I didn't even bother to ask. They were trusting Caitlyn and I to spend the night tomorrow. I wasn't going to push my luck.

The next night, the party was in full swing when Jason showed up. Odd, since he should have been there to begin with. He _did_ live there. However, he _wasn't_ supposed to have an Anastasia look-a-like on his arm.

The auburn haired girl was a tooth pick with fake boobs. Her hair was in obviously fake curly waves, like Caitlyn's hair. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn it _was_ Anastasia.

"What is _that_?" Caitlyn asked, appearing at my side. "Did he clone Stas or something?"

Nate looked on with equal… disgust I dare say. "He's not that smart." He quipped.

Jason spotted us and made his way over. "Hey, guys. This is Britney."

"Hi, Barbie." Shane said smiling fakely.

She smiled back equally fake. "It's _Britney_."

I was quiet, the whole time. "Jason, can we talk to you? Alone?" Caitlyn said pulling him away. We were in the kitchen, despite the others around still, clearly listening.

Caitlyn smacked him in the head. "Ow!" Jason cried, rubbing his now sore head.

"When she said someone _like_ Stas, she didn't mean her clone!"

"Jason! What are you thinking? Do you honestly think Stas is going to want to be with you after you quite literally replaced her?" I hissed. Jason had a look in his eyes, but I couldn't decipher it.

He shrugged. "Whatever. She dumped me, remember? And at least this one has a brain unlike the last one."

"Jase, what's gotten into you?" Caitlyn asked softly. "These aren't the type of girls you date. You date… _Stas_!" She exclaimed softly.

"Well, Stas doesn't want me, and Britney does!" He yelled back at us. In a normal tone, he continued, "Okay? Let it go. I know you guys are looking out for me and all, but remember I'm the older one. I can take care of myself." He walked away from us.

"I've never seen Jason so…" Caitlyn looked for the right word.

"Jaded? Bitter? Broken?" I supplied.

"Yeah." I said softly.

I went to bed that night feeling like something had shifted. Caitlyn came running into the room the next morning. She jumped on the bed, and was mildly surprised at my sleeping attire.

"What, Cait?" I groaned sitting up.

"What are you wearing? Or not wearing…" She tried not to laugh. I glared at her, pulling the blanket up tighter around myself, while Shane buried his face into my side, ignoring Caitlyn.

"You'll never guess what was on HotTunes this morning!" She was smiling brightly.

"What, Cait?" I demanded.

"Jason's new girlfriend, that's what. They said 'Bishop's best female friends, band mates' girlfriends Mitchie Torres and Caitlyn Gellar, were none too pleased during the introduction, an insider says.' Someone at the party totally over heard and called HotTunes and told them what was up."

"Here." A sleepy Nate handed Caitlyn his laptop where he had the HotTunes site open. I tightened the blanket around me, though Shane was now awake, holding me to him as well.

"'The girls were said to be pretty upset at Bishop's quick recovery from his now ex-girlfriend, who it was claimed he still has feelings for. I think it's time we started getting all the facts when it comes to Torres. America seems to be misjudging her greatly.' About damn time." Caitlyn sighed.

I nodded in shock. I couldn't believe that everything could really be fixed from one report. I also knew there were more problems to come from this. There was no way Anastasia wouldn't hear about this. Somewhere, deep down, I knew part of her still loved Jason. I could only hope they would realize it before Britney got too comfortable.

Bree's dead right now. Please leave a review at the beep. Beeeeeeeeeeep.


	4. Chapter 4

Ha. So, fighting? Yeah. Stas is back. : ). Yay! Ish. I'm sorry if Jason seems really OOC, but it's just how I picture Jason being after being heartbroken, kay? Good. And my mother's surgery went well. She stayed the night in the hospital, so I took advantage of being home alone and wrote you a new chapter. I'm realizing there is very little Smitchie-ness so far in this. But, I like to think I'm showing the other aspects of their lives and not just the relationship drama. Ones relationship does not rule their lives.

And Allison is totally jealous cause I have 3 chapters and 200+ reviews. Lol. Thanks guys. : )

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Chapter 4:

Things were seriously off with Jason. Caitlyn and I were really beginning to get worried. I couldn't understand what was wrong with him. I wanted him to pick up the phone or catch a train or something! He just needed to talk to Anastasia, and put everything behind them. He was never going to get over her with his endless string of Stas-clones.

Over the last 3 months Jason has brought home a total of 9 different Stas-wannabes. Britney was the longest lasting of them, having stayed with Jason for about a month. After he dumped her, there was Alexandra, _Lexi_. _Barbie_, if you were to ask Shane. They were all Barbie to him. Each of the ones after Britney only lasted about a week before Jason moved on. He wasn't sleeping with them, but I think that was the problem. They wanted things he wasn't going to give them.

By the third week after Britney, they weren't just Barbie to Shane. None of us cared enough to remember their names. It was an endless cycle and we all knew he wouldn't ever settle. Until he and Anastasia were back together, he would never be able to be happy and content again. Until he and Anastasia were back together, well, he wouldn't be Jason.

Our relationship had become seriously strained. I was getting sick of the mindless girls he brought home. I was also missing Anastasia a lot. Caitlyn and I both longed to call her and ask how she was, but were afraid Jason would get mad at us. We knew we were choosing sides, but Anastasia pretty much forced us to. Since she hung up on me, I hadn't heard from her, and neither had Caitlyn.

However, we finally heard from Elisha, Anastasia's roommate at college. The school was on winter break, so I was still in bed around 12:30. I had been exhausted between school, Shane, and Jason. After all of the press drama, my teachers seemed to expect me to keep up those higher grades I'd earned.

Groggily, I answered my phone, not expecting what I heard. "Is this Mitchie?"

"Who is this?" I asked, more awake.

"Hi. I'm Elisha. Stas' roommate."

I was suddenly alert and wide awake. "Oh my god, is she okay?" I asked quickly.

"Honestly? I don't know. Ever since she broke up with Jason… she's been getting worse. She seems really depressed. I… I don't think its so much Jason as it is you and Caitlyn. She misses you guys. When we first met, she said she had two best friends who were younger than her, and that they were the first people she ever truly considered a _friend_. I don't know what happened between you 3 exactly, but I thought I'd call you and let you know. It's up to you what you do."

"She doesn't hate us?" I asked carefully.

I heard a small gasp and laughter. "God no!"

"Thank you, Elisha. You're a good friend." I told the girl across the phone.

"Don't mention it. And I mean that. Don't let her know I called you." She laughed. "She might get mad at me for invading her privacy."

"Absolutely. I've been wanting to call her, but… between Jason and the last time I spoke to her… I was afraid to." I said quietly.

"I get it. I'm sure she'll understand." Elisha said convincingly.

After getting off the phone, I looked at it carefully for awhile. Finally, I speed-dialed Anastasia. "Hey, what's up?…"

"Hey-"

"I'm not near my phone or it… died? Leave me a message." _Beep._

I sighed. "Hey, Stas. It's Mitchie. I've been meaning to call you. I've just been afraid to. But, no one is here, so I figured no one can potentially yell at me. Um, call me back if you wa-" _Beep_. "-nt… to." I closed the phone and sighed again.

Next, I dialed Shane. He was up in Massachusetts while his brother and sister were on break. Nicky answered his phone, "Hey, like, Shane can't answer, like his phone, cause like, his sister, like stole it…" She said like a valley girl.

I laughed. "Hey, Nick. Can I, like, talk to like my boyfriend, like please?" I said back.

She giggled. "I hate people who talk like that."

"Don't we all." I agreed.

"Hey, babe." Shane said taking the phone from his sister. "Sorry, I was playing Smash Brothers with Kev, so Nicky answered my phone. What's up?"

"Stas' roommate called me."

"Seriously? Why? What's wrong?" For all the hate he claimed to have for Anastasia, I could clearly hear the concern and worry in his voice. They were close, despite what he wanted to believe.

"She says Stas is getting depressed. Like, _really_ depressed. So… I called her."

"Really? You didn't call Caitlyn first?" He asked surprised.

"Nope. I didn't want anyone talking me out of it. I miss talking to her. And I know Jason still loves her, despite his current 'I hate Stas' stance. All his little_ things_ are Stas-clones."

"I know. He's not going to forgive her easily. By the time the article came out, she hadn't forgiven him yet. He's pretty hurt, Mitch." He sighed.

"I know." I huffed. "But I want my friends back. Even if it takes me forever to get the back together, I at least have to try. I owe Stas that much. We might not be together if she hadn't stepped in."

"You're right." He agreed. "Well, did you talk to her?"

I sighed. "No."

"I thought you called her?" He asked.

"I did. I got her voicemail."

"Oh. Well, you _did_ leave a message, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Shane. Call me later, okay? I'm gonna get out of bed now."

"Mitchie? It's like 2:00 in the afternoon. Why are you _still _in bed? …without me?" He asked.

"Buh-bye, pop star. Love you." I hung up laughing.

I came back from the shower to find my phone beeping. I had a voicemail . _"…Hey… Mitchie…it's, um, Stas. You called me? Um, _tag!_ You're it. I guess call me back?"_ She hung up after that.

I decided to get dressed and everything before calling her back. I was slightly thankful that Caitlyn was in Pennsylvania again for the holidays. We need a break from each other. Especially after all of the Jason drama.

I called Anastasia back after I got dressed. "Hello?" A shaky voice answered.

"Hey." I replied just as nervous. "Stas, it's -"

"Mitchie?" She cut me off. "Oh my god, how are you? I wanted to call after I saw those articles… but…"

"Didn't know what to say?" I offered.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"Yeah, I finally grew the courage to call you. I've missed you. I was waiting for you to call me, and that wasn't happening, so…" I admitted.

She sighed. "I didn't think you'd want to talk to me after not only did I break Jason's heart, but because I hung up on you."

"I understand. So, how have you been?" I asked.

"Great…" I could tell she was lying. "How are you and Shane?"

I smiled. "Better than ever." I spent the next two hours on the phone with Anastasia catching up. When Jason was mentioned, she quickly changed the subject. I sighed. It was going to be harder than I thought.

Christmas dinner with the Torres' was as wonderful as ever. Everyone was happy and in a good mood. Shane's whereabouts were mentioned, and I explained he was with his family. No one questioned what had been said in the papers, but condolences had been given by some. Nothing horrible was said about any of it until dinner with Mom's family.

"I can't believe you've let her be in such a relationship." My grandmother miffed at my parents. "She's too young to be caught up in all that drama. It was disgraceful to admit to her being my granddaughter."

"Mother." Mom said, slightly appalled.

"It's true. I didn't raise _you_ to act in such a way. I can't believe you raised her. Those pictures don't lie." She said. I knew she meant the pictures of me goofing off with Jason, like him giving me a piggy back ride.

"Grandma." I said firmly. "If you have a problem with _my_ life and the way _I_ live it, then tell _me_. Stop _blaming_ my parents. I would never give you credit for the woman my mother is, and I don't except her to take the blame for who I am."

"Well, young lady, _you_ certainly should take blame. You're a disgrace, and disrespectful. Rude. And promiscuous." She sneered in reply.

"Promiscuous? Are you serious? My _boyfriend_ as well as the my _best friend _whom I supposedly cheated with him on, _both_ wear purity rings."

"I doubt that. I've seen all of those girls that one's been with in the last few weeks."

"Because he's trying to get over his ex. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"I _am_ your grandmother. You owe me some respect." She demanded.

"I owe no one respect when they don't give me theirs. If you have such a problem with me and my life, and how we live and how my parents raised me, then get out of our home. You aren't welcome. I'm sick of hearing you look down on my parents all the time."

"_Well_, if _that_'s how you feel." My grandmother promptly stood up and grabbed her coat. She left without another word. My aunt and uncle sat there uncomfortable as we ate in silence. When they left, my parents hugged me tightly, telling me how proud they were of me.

Instead of waiting until the next day like last time, Lava let me use their plan to fly up to Boston that night. Shane spun me around when I got off of the plan.

"Mmmm." I sighed, nestling into his chest.

"I missed you." He complained as he kissed me.

I kissed him back with more intensity than intended. He leaned against the hood of his car kissing me with equal passion. "Mmm, we should go." I said pulling back slightly.

"Yeah, it's cold out here." He said. I laughed. He wasn't wearing a coat, but it was cold. Right. I laughed to myself at Shane's logic.

We spent time with his family again, and it was amazing. I found part of myself slightly disappointed when he gave me my present. I found myself expecting an engagement ring. I chided myself afterwards of course. Instead, he bought me a brand new guitar. Top of the line acoustic with my name etched into it. And I don't mean Mitchie. No, he had Michaela Theresa engraved into the back of the neck. The _only_ time I _like_ my name is with my middle name attached.

He pouted every night we went to bed and I had pajamas on. There was no way I was sleeping in his bed, in his parents house, with them home, in just a bra and underwear.

"Maybe tomorrow." I teased him as we got into bed. Tomorrow being New Years Eve, and his parents not home.

"Yeah, sure." He said sarcastically. I pushed him slightly, settling against his chest.

Then next morning, we were awaken by Caitlyn jumping on us. Jason did as well, surprisingly. He looked almost like himself again.

"Mitchie." Caitlyn hugged me, laughing. Nate appeared at the door with a bored looking red head next to him. My eyes narrowed and I started panicking.

"Caitlyn, bathroom." I pushed off the bed and into the bathroom before she could reply. "You didn't tell me Jason was bringing Barbie with him!" I hissed.

"What's the big deal? Now he won't be moping and running our night." Caitlyn said.

"Because…. I…. invitedStas." I mumbled at the end.

"What?!" She screamed.

"I didn't think he'd bring a Barbie with him." I explained.

"Mitchie, this is bad. This is really bad." Caitlyn began pacing. "Wait, when did you talk to Stas?"

"The other day. Her roommate called. I wanted it to be a surprise. Shane doesn't know either."

"SHANE!" Caitlyn yelled through the door. He knocked, and Caitlyn pulled him in quickly and slammed the door. "Say good-bye to your girlfriend, cause I don't think she's going to survive tonight."

"Why?" Shane asked worriedly.

"Because she invited _Stas_ tonight." Caitlyn replied seething slightly.

"And that's bad because?" Shane asked cluelessly.

I sighed. "Maybe 'cause Jason has Barbie out there with him?" I suggested.

"Oh. This will be bad for Stas more so than Jason."

"Most likely." I said softly. "And I can't call her and say, oh sorry change your plans again for me cause Jason brought his toy with him?"

"All we can do now is wait and watch the inevitable fall out. Maybe you _should_ warn Jason." Shane suggested.

"He'll leave, and then they won't ever talk." I sighed.

Caitlyn looked at me suddenly with narrowed eyes. "Are you playing match maker?"

"More like Ms. Fix-it, but yeah." I replied.

"And you didn't tell me?" Caitlyn pouted.

I smiled. "Well, help now."

I was on edge the rest of the day. As we were getting ready to go out to dinner -not as fancy as the last time-, I could barely sit still.

"Okay, can we leave yet?" Jason asked bored.

I stuttered. "Uh, no, we're, uh, waiting for someone else. And _Barbie_ is still getting ready."

Jason glared. "She has a name, Mitchie." Thankfully the doorbell rang.

Caitlyn and I ran over to it. Jason came to see who it was and unfortunately saw before we could push her back out to warn her. "What is _she_ doing here?" Jason asked.

"You didn't tell him? Mitchie!" Anastasia yelled, trying to move back to her car.

"No, Stas, I was going to this morning, but-"

"Why is she here, Mitchie? Since when have you been talking to her?" Jason demanded.

I turned quickly on my heel, letting Caitlyn deal with Anastasia. "She's my _friend_, Jason. I can talk to her whenever I want. And I didn't know you were bring _Barbie_ with you."

"Who's Barbie?" Anastasia asked, coming back in. "One of your many girlfriends?"

"More like all of them." Nate mumbled.

"None of your business." He yelled at her.

"Where do you get off being _mad_ at me?" She yelled back.

"You broke up with me, remember?" Jason continued yelling.

"You were the one who moved on _awfully_ fast." She threw back.

"What's going on?" Barbie asked from the stairs. Anastasia scoffed, looking at her.

"You know what? I came here to enjoy New Years Eve with my friends I haven't seen in long as time. I was invited, so if you have a problem with me being here, that's on you." Anastasia turned to Shane, Nate, Caitlyn, and I. "Are we leaving anytime soon?"

We nodded. I looked at Shane who smiled encouragingly at me. I was lucky to have him to help me with this. He made sure to grab Jason and pull him with us. To say dinner was awkward would be an understatement. This was _not_ the reunion I'd been hoping for.

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Bree is more rested, but still tired. She thanks everyone for their concern and offers of reincarnation/resurrection. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys. I mean to mention this every time, I always forget to. But I just read reviews before I'm posting this, so I remember! The lengths you guys go through to read this, amazes me. PSPs, cellphones, printing it out since you can't be on the computer. Wow. Just wow. I appreciate it, so much! And I'm sorry if this one isn't as good as the other, but that tends to happen. And yes, this is moving quickly. But think about it. How many of you have been in a relationship for more than a year? After the first year, it kind of become routine and certain things aren't as important or special. So, we're jumping time quicker, because life moves a bit quicker. Unless you want a bunch of pointless filler, of course. If you want that, don't read my story. : ) I hate writing filler that gets you no where. And I _know_ you all want him to propose, so if unless you want to wait until chapter 15 for that… deal with the pace. Lol. Just kidding. Sort of. I don't know. Bree is going to find where her mother is, since the hospital has not yet called and said come pick up your mother. She's done recovering.

Long ass author's note over. Enjoy.

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Chapter 5:

Dinner was in so many words, silent. At first any way. No one really knew what to say. Anastasia kept looking at her plate. Jason was glaring at his plate or Anastasia. Nate and Caitlyn kept sharing looks, as were Shane and I. Barbie, who's name I honestly don't care about, was oblivious to the obvious tension in the room. She thought we were just a really boring group of people. Miss tactless even said so.

"Wow, you guys seemed a lot more fun in all the media stuff." She said. I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh as Anastasia glared at the girl, then Jason.

"You caught us on a bad night." I said apologetically.

"Oh." Was all she said in response. "So, I've like, always wondered, where did Connect 3 like, _come from_?"

"Massachusetts and Pennsylvania." Jason answered shortly.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "She meant how did you meet or the name, genius." She said with quite a bit of attitude. I shoot a helpless look at Caitlyn.

"Camp Rock is where we met." Nate explained.

Caitlyn mouthed 'trust me' to me before speaking. "Really, most of us met at Camp Rock." She paused. "Well, 'cept for Stas. We met her at a party when she powned Jason at Guitar Hero."

"You like, play video games?" Barbie asked Anastasia. I gave her credit for knowing what powned and Guitar Hero were.

Anastasia glared. "Yeah. Guitar Hero happens to be my specialty."

Before he could help himself, Jason cracked a smile. "'Cept she sucks on a real guitar."

I watched Anastasia visibly keep herself from saying something in response to that in a not so friendly way. She had that Stas-fire in her eyes. The one that said 'I would so make a dirty comment, but I won't'. "And you rock on a real guitar and still got your ass handed to you… 100 and… _3_ times?"

He licked his bottom lip before reply. "Yeah…"

"Well, I actually meant the _name_… but whatev." Barbie shrugged, desperate for Jason's attention to be on her.

"The label." Shane bit out. "It didn't come from anywhere special except there are 3 of us."

"Oh, Cait and I had this conversation one day. Remember, Stas? The one were you said we were insane?" I said, smiling at Anastasia.

"Mitchie, dear, I said that about a _lot_ of your conversations. Like… the shower conversations." She replied.

"Shower conversations?" Nate and Shane asked.

"Anyway, we were talking about where do bands get their names from? Like Breaking Benjamin… what did he ever do to them?" I asked.

"Ooh! Armor for Sleep!" Caitlyn threw out. "Who sleeps in armor?"

"We know Mitchie doesn't." Anastasia teased. I blushed at laughed her in shock.

"I'm surprised she sleeps in _anything_ these days." Caitlyn replied.

Jason and Nate groaned. "Ew, mental image of best friend not needed, Cait." Jason cried.

"Okay, why are you freaking out?" Shane asked. "We've seen all of them in bikinis, which is the same. Aside from the fact that we've also seen them all in just their underwear when we were on tour." He pointed out.

"We weren't _looking_ at _them_, Shane." Nate replied. "I was looking at Caity, and Jase was staring at Stas." I watched Barbie's eyes squint a bit as she took in Anastasia in a more of a _green_ lighting.

Shane smirked, also seeing her reaction. "True. Jason never saw much other than Stas on those days. You _never_ see anything other than Cait."

Jason glared at the guys in a 'cool it' manner, where as Anastasia was smirking from across the table. We weren't choosing sides. We were just… being ourselves.

"Yeah, well, that's the past, right, Stas?" He asked slightly angry.

She made a face. "Yeah, Jase." She said to her plate. She looked up, with her head still down, her eyes piercing his. "Where _you_ put it." Turning to the rest of us, she continued, "Guys, leave it there."

Nate laughed. "Hey, you brought up Mitchie's underwear."

"I'm sure _Dracula _would like to bring it down." She teased Shane and I. Shane smiled and laughed while I blushed. I could tell he missed her. She was the only one to ever tease him like that. It kept him in his place a bit better than just me.

"What do you say we head back to the house?" Jason said pushing his empty plate away from him.

We all nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Shane said standing up.

While walking to the car, Anastasia pulled me behind everyone else. "What are you up to, _Michaela_?" She whispered.

"Well, _Anastasia_, I'm doing what I should have done sooner."

She looked at me oddly. "Which is?"

"Putting an end to the stupidity."

Bitterly, she replied, "It's Jason, there is no end to the stupidity."

I laughed. "Stas, that wasn't nice."

"Nobody said I was trying to be." She replied, smiling only slightly. She was hurting more than I had realized. I didn't realize how much the break up had hurt her as well, seeing how they probably never really 'broke up'. Maybe Elisha was wrong. Maybe it was more of the Jason reason for her depression. But it didn't matter the reason. The only way it was going to get fixed was by someone else stepping in, and that was exactly what we were doing.

The car ride home was awkward and silent. Shane and I weren't really up for talking to Barbie in the back seat, so we just turned the radio on. She could tell we weren't overly fond of her, and Jason was uncharacteristically mad.

"So, can we like, drink now?" Barbie asked when we got in the house.

"No." We all answered, even Jason.

"Shane's parents don't condone underage drinking, and ask us not drink _in_ their house." Jason explained.

"Well then," She basically purred, playing with Jason's tie, pressing her body against his tightly. "Why don't we go back to the hotel room and have our own party?"

"We're staying here, Carrie." Jason said. "Not at a hotel."

"What?" She looked disgusted. "With…" She tried to whisper, "_Them_?"

"If you've got a problem with it, leave." Anastasia spoke up. "I don't think they really want you here."

"Who asked you, has-been?" Barbie sneered. She looked back at Jason with puppy dog eyes. "You want me here, don't you baby?"

Jason avoided her question. "Stas is right. If you have a problem with my friends, you should probably just leave." Jason answered, pulling her off of him.

"Well, not them… just _her_." She gestured toward Anastasia, who scoffed and looked ready to punch her at any second.

"Stas is still my friend even if we are fighting." Jason said calmly. Barbie huffed and stormed out of the house. A taxi pulled up a little while later, but we didn't really care.

This year, Anastasia danced with us, and the three guys sat and watched. When we sat down to watch the ball drop, though, Jason and Anastasia ended up next to each other on the floor in front of us.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... Happy New Year!" We all yelled. I hugged Caitlyn and turned to kiss Shane. When I went to hug Anastasia and Jason, I gasped. They were locked in a rather passionate kiss. My gasp broke reality and they pulled apart. A single tear slid down her cheek as she stood up and fled to the kitchen. Jason punched the floor watching her get up. Frustrated, he stood up and followed her. "What the hell?" He yelled at her.

"What?" She yelled back, and we could hear the tears in her voice. We all crept closer to the kitchen to listen.

"_First_, you get mad at me for having a girlfriend, when _you_ broke up with _me_. Then you get mad at me for being mad at you. Then that shit in the restaurant, and then that-" He gestured to the living, Caitlyn reported, who was watching around the corner as best she could.

"_First_, I asked you to give me _time_ and you went out and got a new girlfriend… one who almost cost Mitchie a lot." She yelled back. "And hell yeah, I'm going to be mad at you, because obviously _we_ didn't matter all that much if you were able to move on so damn fast. And-"

He cut her off. "What do you mean I was able to move on, Stas? I can't replace you. I'm trying, believe me. But I can't. So don't tell me I can't be mad. You threw away everything over a stupid argument-"

"It was _not_ a stupid argument, Jason. That's your problem. You can't realize how stressed I was, I am at school. I need you to be there when I have time, and understand when I don't. I was able to do that for you while you were on tour. Why couldn't you do the same for me?"

"Because you _never_ have time, Stas! I called you at three in the morning if it meant I could at least hear your voice. You _never_ called me. Ever!"

"Because it was too hard!" She yelled back. Her voice cracked as she kept speaking. "I hated not being able to talk to you whenever I wanted, and to kiss you, and touch you, and smile at your stupidity when you ask me what is the Lemon Chicken flavored with. I went out to dinner with my friends one night and broke down in tears eating Lemon Chicken. I couldn't handle the distance. And by the time I realized cutting you off only made it _harder_ you moved on. You gave up! You may not be able to get over me, but _you_ threw us away over a stupid argument. Not me."

It was quiet for a while, before she walked out of the kitchen. She passed us at first, and back tracked realizing we were listening. "Bed?" She asked numbly. I took her up to Nicky's room, as the twins were out again this year. Shane came in a few minutes later. She had just cried herself to sleep.

"Who knew she was that broken?" Shane whispered, looking down at her sadly. I shrugged. "I didn't realize how much I missed her. This whole time, we've been blame her, not believing Jason was capable of hurting her."

"Where's Jason?" I asked softly, standing up from the bed. Shane silently pointed to Kevin's bedroom. I closed the door to Nicky's room on my way out, and closed the door to Kevin's on my way in. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. He looked up at me glaring with glassy eyes.

"What? How was I supposed to know?" He sniffled angrily. "She never told me."

I shook my head. "Not that part, Jason!" I groaned, sitting next to him on the bed. "Why didn't you say anything back to her?"

"Because she was right, what was I supposed to say?" Jason sighed.

"I don't know. Apologize and beg for a second chance?" I suggested.

"I don't think she's willing." He said sadly. "You may have heard everything, but you didn't see her face."

"When did you grow up, Jase? 6 months ago you were this big kid without a clue. Now, you're so…"

"Broken?" He answered.

"Yeah."

"I fell in love. And I had my heart broken. You should know what that's like, Mitchie." He said softly.

"I do. But I also know that if you love her enough, you can prove it to her, and get her back, Jase. When you fight hard enough, you can accomplish anything. So, tomorrow, make sure you tell her you still love her, okay? And tell her you're going to prove you deserve a second shot at this. And go with whatever she says, okay?" I advised.

He nodded. "Thanks, Mitchie. I would have never found out the truth without you."

"You've always been there for me, Jason. It's the least I can do." I kissed his cheek and left him alone.

I closed Shane's door and leaned against it for a moment. Shane was already sitting in the bed waiting for me. I pulled my shirt over my head as I headed to the bed. Stopping at the bottom, I stepped out of my shoes and pushed my skirt down. His questioning eyes never left my body, until I started crawling up the bed.

"Mitchie…" He breathed. I sat on his lap, straddling his legs.

"Shhh. You have self-control." I reminded him. I kissed him deeply. "I love you." I mumbled against his lips. Pretty soon, we were caught up in a heavy make out session under the sheets. Nothing happened, I promise.

I woke up the next morning, not able to feel my one leg. It was pinned under Shane's body. When he flipped us, he stayed between my legs the night before. That was how we apparently fell asleep. "Baby…" I groaned, kissing his chest.

"Wha?" He groaned.

"My leg." I said softly. He lifted his hips enough that I could wiggle the appendage out.

"What was that last night?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I want to remind you how much I love you?"

"I know how much you love me." He assured me.

I sighed, admitting "I know. I just, I guess I feel bad about the whole Jason-Stas drama."

"Why? They didn't communicate properly."

I sighed again, this time in frustration. "Because we're always helping Nate with Caitlyn, but we never helped Jason with Stas." I saidd heatedly.

"Jason never needed help with Stas before they broke up." He reasoned.

More upset than angry again, I replied, "I feel like, if I had been there for Jason from day one, he wouldn't have gotten with the first one. And they wouldn't be where they are now."

He sighed, rubbing my arm. "I know you don't want to think of it this way, but maybe they needed this. Maybe Jason needed the reality check and to _really _grow up. He gained a lot of brain cells with her, but he gained more now that they aren't together. I hate seeing him jaded, but we couldn't protect him forever, Mitch."

I smiled at him. "You just made him sound more like our son than our friend." I teased softly.

He shrugged. "Just means, someday, I'll be a good father."

I smiled, but changed the subject. "I don't wanna go home, tomorrow." I sighed. "Or, later." I said, peaking at the clock which read 5:23 am.

"Why? When we're home, I get to sleep with you damn near naked."

"Only when I sleep over at the apartment." I reminded him.

"Mmm." He pouted. "You should totally move in with me for this summer before you leave for college."

I laughed. "Cause that won't be a giant temptation." I giggled slightly.

"Baby, you're already a giant temptation. I think I could handle it." He said easily.

"You're serious?" I asked slightly surprised. "You want me to move in with you for the summer?"

He smiled that evil, mysterious smile of his. "I want you to move in with me _now_. Of course I'm serious. You don't have to, I won't take offense. I'm just throwing it out there." He shrugged.

I smiled at him. "Maybe."

"Better than you freaking out." He teased, kissing me. "I'd get to see Jake more often." He commented lightly. "Next year, you should bring him with you, up here."

"Or, _you_ could. I thought you would take him while I was at school…" I said, slightly unsure.

"Of course. I just thought if you were home with your parents, you'd want Jacob with you." I smiled at him. He opted to change the subject, though, "So, I'm curious. Last night Stas mentioned _shower conversations_?"

I laughed. "Cait and I would talk while we were in the shower at the truck stops and stuff."

"Ah. Makes sense. I thought maybe she meant you were showering _together_ or something." He said looking down at me.

I bit my lip and watched his eyes darken. "Nope. Only person I've ever showered with is me." I replied.

He smirked, leaning closer to my lips. "That'll change." He promised. We ended up spending a lot more time in bed awake then intended. A lot would be changing soon enough. I didn't know if we could handle it. Broken promises and future problems were looming in the horizon like an awaiting storm, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy everything in its path.

And by the way, if you're going to leave me mean reviews or comlaining ones, I'm just going to ignore you. If you say something like 'you update slow' make sure you throw in a lol or jk if you aren't serious. Because if you are, read a damn authors note once in a while.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, sorry about no chapter yesterday. I was up at the hospital with Mom for a little while. Thanks for understanding. I didn't meant o btch so much at the end of the last one. I was just a bit ticked in general. You guys are great. So, slightly longer chapter. Sorry if it's a bit _dramatic_ at the end. I'm trying to throw as much fluff between the drama as possible.

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Chapter 6:

Shane, Nate, Caitlyn and I drove back later that day. The drive home was pleasant. Somehow, Jason convinced Anastasia to let him drive back to her school with him. He claimed they needed to talk, and, well, they did.

"How much you wanna bet they're back together by the time we get home?" Nate laughed as we left the Grey's driveway.

The rest of us shook our heads. "Nah. Maybe after tonight." Caitlyn said.

"I don't know. Stas seems a lot more hurt than we thought." Shane said wisely. "I think they'll _make up _by the end of tonight. I don't think they'll get _back together _until Jason can prove he can handle the distance. She made a pretty good point about that."

"Yeah. She answered whenever he called. And I never heard her complain." I agreed. "Hopefully, it won't take too long to prove that."

Shane won that bet. Unfortunately, none of us saw much of each other in the next couple of weeks. Midterms were in the third week of January. Calculus is evil. We'll leave all details of studying at that. My application for Berklee was also due on the 15th, and I still hadn't managed to write that essay.

"Mitchie." Caitlyn said at her wits end. "Just write the damn essay. 'I believe I am qualified for Berklee because I have an amazing voice. I have a potential record deal with Lava Record that I've yet to act on after almost a year of signing it for reasons no one knows."

I glared at her. "What did you write?"

She huffed, but pulled up the essay on her computer. "I believe I am qualified to attend Berklee because I have the greatest passion for music possible. I have been attending the prestigious Camp Rock summer music program for the last 4 years in an effort to further my knowledge. During the school year of 08-09, I worked as an intern for Lava Records with Producer Milo Waiton on Connect 3's _Play My Music_ album. I am credit on the album for the single 'This Is Me' in which I mixed the majority of the music. I believe Berklee College of Music is the next step in furthering my knowledge and increasing my chances of making it as a music producer." She read to me.

"See, that was good. I have no idea what to write." I complained.

She sighed. "Would you like me to write it, _for you_?" She suggested. "Just, mention the lengths you've gone to make it in music. The whole catering-so-you-can-go-to-Camp-Rock thing. And then you can mention that you sang a duet with Shane for the Connect 3 album, and that you _wrote_ it. And how you also helped write some of the songs for _Play My Music_ with Shane."

"I helped write two songs, Cait. And all I did was suggest different words." I argued.

She groaned. "Mitchie… Just write the damn thing." She left me to my own thoughts to write. I did, but I wasn't overly proud of it. I was modest, remember? And, I was afraid they'd wonder why I hadn't signed to Lava if I was _so amazing_. No one knew why. Except for me. Milo offered to help me record a demo, but I refused, saying I wanted to write some new songs first.

Why didn't I record the demo, you're wondering? Because I was afraid to. I've never sang without Shane and I was afraid of the response to just _my_ music. When I sang at Final Jam, Shane was with me at the end. I never heard the response to my singing. Sure, I was over my stage fright, but I didn't want to sing without him. I know, I know. So why didn't I sing on tour with them? Because I wanted to be backstage watching my boyfriend, not on stage stepping on Nate and Jason's toes. Shane asked me to quite a few times, and I always said no. And, yeah, I have a song that topped the Billboard Charts, but again, with Shane. Yes, I know. How do I plan on making it music if I don't want to sing without Shane? Good question. When I find the answer, I'll let you know.

I hadn't really thought that out at that point, yet. But once I got my applicant sent off, I had to worry about studying. But as I said, Calculus should die and that's all I'm going to say.

"Thank god we have half days during exams." I sighed to Caitlyn, who was patiently waiting for me.

"Yeah, and I'm just happy that we're done with exams." She said sighing as well.

"Well, for the moment we are." I added. She glared at me as I closed my locker.

We hadn't actually spoken to, much less seen, our boyfriends in the last two weeks. Once exams started, we literally stopped talking them for the week. Not even during study breaks as we had the week before. If we managed to maintain an A average for the year, we were exempt from finals. This meant we had to ace these exams.

Color us surprised when we walked out of the school to find Shane and Nate leaning against the Mustang's hood. We ran down the front steps to them.

"Hey." Shane smiled at us. He laughed when I practically threw myself at him. "Ugh. Missed you, too, baby." He said laughing. "Come on, you two." Shane pushed off of the hood.

When we pulled off of the curb, Shane headed toward the highway, and not toward my house. "Where are we going?"

"The apartment." Shane said simply. My house and the guys' apartment had lost possessive pronouns at this point. It was either _the house_, which was my house, or _the apartment_.

"Can we stop and get lunch? I'm starving." Caitlyn asked from the backseat. Shane looked back at her in the rearview mirror.

"Sure. How about you pick lunch and we'll pick dinner." He answered.

"Specify 'we' and what do you mean dinner?" I asked.

"_We_ as in you and Cait, and Nate and myself." He answered. "And you guys are spending the weekend with us."

"What?" Caitlyn and I asked excitedly. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. You're exams are done, Jason went to Stas' for the weekend, and we've missed you." Nate explained. "Momma T and Steve know." He assured us.

"Wait, we don't have clothes." Shane smirked next to me. "Seriously?" I gaped. "_Cait_." I whined.

"I _know_." She whined back. "You guys can so not just… grab our clothing."

"Oh please." Nate laughed, kissing Caitlyn's temple. "What's the difference seeing things in your drawer as opposed to seeing it on your bodies?"

I huffed. "It's the principle of the matter."

Shane reached over and grabbed my hand. "Whatever you say, babe." He laughed.

We went to a small deli in the city near the guys apartment. "So, Jason really went to Stas' for the weekend?" I asked during a lull in the conversation.

"Yup." Shane answered, mouth full of sub.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." I reminded him. Nate and Caitlyn laughed at us, like normal.

"Anyway, what prompted that trip?"

Nate laughed. "Shockingly, Stas' exams were over yesterday, so she's got a bit of down time."

"Why is that shocking?" Caitlyn asked.

Nate looked at her. "Because your's were over today…" He explained slowly.

"Riiiight." She said. "Anyway." She looked at me. "You think they'll get back together soon?"

"I hope so." I answered. "I mean, sure, Jason's being more like himself now that he and Stas are speaking again, but he's still not back to being Jason."

"I don't think he'll ever be _Jason_ again. He's grown up a lot." Shane said sadly.

"He's still an airhead at heart." I said. "I told him to take out the trash, referring to Mindy, and he thought I really meant the trash. He'll always be like that. He just doesn't talk to us enough to be like that."

"True." Nate agreed. "No more depressing crap this weekend." He said firmly. "This weekend is supposed to be fun." We all looked at him oddly.

Caitlyn reached across the table and felt his head. "Are you sick?" She asked feigning seriousness.

Shane started poking him. "What are you and what did you do with Nate?" Nate glared as we all laughed at him.

Later that night we were spread out in the living room, having been watching a movie. Nate and Caitlyn were on the couch, cuddling while Shane and I were on the floor. I was laying on my side, while he had his head on my stomach. I smiled lightly as I woke up and ran a hand through his hair. Then I noticed Caitlyn and Nate whispering, oblivious to the fact that I was awake.

"I love you." He whispered sweetly.

I could hear the smile in her voice. "I love you, too. I never get tired of hearing you say that." She said softly.

"Good. I never get tired of saying it." If I wasn't too busy awing in my head, I'd have been gagging. Good thing Anastasia wasn't here.

"We sound like Mitchie and Shane." Caitlyn groaned. I gasped in my head. That was mean.

"Yeah, well." He paused. "Have you ever heard Mitchie question Shane's feelings?" He asked, in a saddened tone.

"Nate… it's not your fault. I should have told you earlier that I was upset. You didn't know. And since I told you… you've been amazing." She comforted.

"Anyway…" He said changing the topic, well sort of. "I envy him sometimes. A lot of times actually."

"Why?" Caitlyn asked curiously.

He sighed. "He's so confident. He doesn't have a problem doing what it takes to get what he wants. But he doesn't follow everyone else's rules to get there. He follows his own. And he's not afraid to tell Mitchie 'We're getting married, someday, just so you know'." I gasped again in my head.

"Okay, I get the getting what he wants, but the Mitchie thing? I don't understand." Caitlyn laughed. I understood. Nate just indirectly told Caitlyn he wants to marry her but doesn't have the confidence to say so. Wow. Go Nate. Sarcasm.

"Don't worry about it." He said, most likely shrugging it off.

"No, Nate. Explain it, please?" She practically begged.

He sighed again. "He's so certain that his future is set. That he's going to propose to her, and she'll say yes, and they'll live happily ever after. I just wish I could have that same confidence. That I was certain that all of my hopes for the future could come true."

Softly, she asked, "What are your hopes for the future, Nate?"

"Getting married, having kids. I'm sure that'll happen. It's more of the _who with_ that I'm worried about."

"Oh." She said softly. I could tell she was taking that the wrong way and began screaming at Nate in my head. That boy was an idiot.

"I want to tell her, I'm just not sure how." He admitted softly. "But I think I just might have." He hinted hopeful.

"Nate… are you trying to tell me you want to marry me someday?" Caitlyn asked slowly.

"I think so." He said uncertain. Gaining confidence, he continued. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not saying tomorrow like Shane. But, ya know, in a few years. When you're done with college, and I'm like, maybe done being a pop star."

"You never know. Madonna's been around for ever." Caitlyn giggled.

He laughed, too, "Yeah."

"A few years sounds good. We aren't ready yet." Caitlyn said softly. "I envy Mitchie for being able to, but I admire her too."

"I don't think I've ever seen two people so in love." Nate commented. I smiled to myself. I have. Four people actually. Take a guess.

I was beginning to get a stiff neck from the way I had been sleeping, so I accidentally groaned. "Mitchie?" Caitlyn asked worriedly.

"Ow." I said in reply.

"You okay?" Nate asked. Our voices woke Shane up as well.

"Just stiff. Time for bed." I said, pushing Shane up off of me. He stood up lazily and pulled me off the floor. "Night, guys." I said on my way past them.

Later that, well now morning, my cell phone was ringing like crazy. "Hello?" I answered after searching frantically for it.

"Oh my god, Mitchie." I recognized the voice but couldn't place it. "It's Elisha."

"What? What happened?" I asked fully awake, jolting Shane in the process.

"Jason… and Stas… ice… Mitchie, you need to come up here." She said through sobs.

"Yeah, we'll be there as soon as we can be." I answered. "Bye." I hung up the phone and turned to a now awake Shane.

"What's wrong?" He demanded.

"Get dressed." I instructed, pulling on his discarded button up as I ran across the apartment to Nate's room. "Caitlyn!" I banged on the door, tears in my eyes.

"What?" Nate pulled the door open a few seconds later, still half asleep.

"Get dressed. Now. We have to go… Jason and Stas… just hurry." I said heading back to grab Shane's keys.

"Mitchie!" Nate called out after me. "Pants?" He suggested as I turned back to him. I sighed, laughing slightly realizing I was only in Shane's shirt. Thankfully Shane anticipated this and handed me the jeans he'd grabbed for me.

In various states of dress, we ran toward the car. None of us were wearing coats in our mad dash to leave. I was wearing Shane's button up, jeans, and my boots; Caitlyn was wearing Nate's pajama pants, her tank top and her sneakers; both Nate and Shane were wearing jeans and undershirts. None of use were wearing socks either. We paid for that later.

"Where am I going?" Shane asked, pulling onto the highway.

"Boston…" I answered. "Boston Memorial." I clarified.

"What?" Caitlyn and Nate cried, not having known the reason for the mad dash yet. "Why? What happened?"

"Elisha said something about ice. I'm assuming she meant there was an accident." I said softly.

Nate, trying to think of alternatives, "Maybe… they were skating or something and one of them twisted their ankle?"

Caitlyn smacked him. "Probably not. I don't think we'd be on our way to Boston at 1:30 in the morning for a twisted ankle."

It was a silent car ride after that, all of us lost in our own thoughts. When we finally arrived, I was the first out of the car, with Caitlyn not far behind. I rushed into the emergency room.

"Can I help you, miss?" The security guard asked.

I started stuttering. "My friends… I think they were in a car accident… someone called us…"

"Mitchie!" Elisha's voice called from the waiting room. I quickly took off toward her voice. "Oh good, you're here. They need Jason's information, but I didn't know anything than his name."

I looked to Nate and Shane. "We'll do it." Nate said. Elisha pointed them in the right direction.

"How are they? What happened?" I asked rushed.

She started tearing up again. "They were in an accident. There was black ice on the road, and the car…"

"Where are they now?" Caitlyn asked, seeing she couldn't explain what happened anymore.

"Jason is in the recovery room. He broke his lower leg bone, as well as a few ribs. Thankfully nothing pierced." She said, not looking at us.

My eyes narrowed. "Where's Stas? What happened to her?"

"St-stas is… in ICU at the moment."

"What?" We cried together. "What happened to her?" I demanded.

"When the car… flipped… she hit her head. She almost snapped her neck, but managed not to. But there's swelling in her brain. They think it might just be a concussion, but until she wakes up, they won't know for certain. Other than that she broke her wrist."

Shane and Nate came over a moment later. "We can go see him. They said we have to wait to see Stas." Shane said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I nodded and we headed up to Jason's room.

He was just waking up when we came in. "Hey." I said softly, smiling at him.

"Hey." He said back. "Where is she?" He said softly, obviously knowing what had happened.

"She's… resting." I told him. The others nodded, despite how uncertain of that we were.

"Good. I'd hate to know something happened to her that was my fault."

"You were driving?" I asked. Anastasia never let anyone drive her car but herself.

He shook his head slightly. "No. I had her laughing so hard we weren't really watching the road. We didn't see the patch of ice on the ground." I smiled. That seemed like something Jason could do.

"It wasn't your fault. You probably wouldn't have seen the ice anyway." Shane said from behind me. Caitlyn stood on Jason's other side, Nate behind her. Elisha hovered nervously by the door.

"Yeah. It's called black ice for a reason." Nate added.

Jason shrugged. "Oh well. Guess this just means no tour." He gestured to his leg. Caitlyn and I tensed.

"What tour?" I asked, feeling Shane tense as well.

"The Europe-… you didn't tell them." Jason stopped talking. I twirled around to face Shane.

"_No tours, promise._ Does that ring a bell, Shane?" I asked upset. He wouldn't look at me. "I'm going to go find Stas." Caitlyn followed me out of Jason's room along with Elisha.

I faintly heard Jason mumble "Oops?"

Caitlyn tried to get me to talk to her about the tour, but I wouldn't. I headed to the nurses station. "Excuse me, my friend is in ICU, and I was wondering if you could tell me where that is and if I can see her?"

"Name?" She asked.

"Anastasia Dragomir." I answered.

"Here." The nurse wrote down the directions and the room number for us. "The nurse there can tell you whether or not you can see her." We thanked her and headed to the room.

When we reached the Intensive Care Unit, we headed to the nurse. "Excuse me, we were wondering if we can see Anastasia Dragomir?" The nurse looked something up on her computer and nodded.

"Room 23." She answered. We thanked her and headed to the room.

Another nurse was in the room helping Anastasia sit up. "Oh my god, you're alive!" I cried, making my way over to her.

"No shit." She hissed in pain as the nurse placed pillows behind her back. "What are you doing here?" She asked nicer.

"Elisha called us." Caitlyn explained.

"Oh. Thanks for coming then." She nodded, closing her eyes.

"Nope, open. No sleeping." The nurse instructed. "She needs to stay awake so we can ensure she just has a mild concussion." We nodded and promised to make sure she would.

"Where's Jase?" She asked as we sat around her. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "He has a broken leg and a few broken ribs. You were the worse of the two. They weren't sure how you managed to not snap your neck. We also thought you might be in a coma."

"Ha. I'm a fighter." A completely different voice filtered into my head. _"Guess I wasn't as much of a fighter as I thought, huh?" _Justin's voice filtered through.

"Oh god, Stas." I cried, covering her body in a tight hug.

"You alright, Mitch?" She asked, hugging me back.

"Justin." I whispered. "You've no idea how happy I am that the two of you are okay."

"I know, sweetie." She said comforting me. I pulled away, laughing and wiping my eyes. "You're the one in the hospital, and yet you're comforting me."

We all laughed. "Yeah, well. So, are the guys with Jason?" She asked.

"Yeah." Caitlyn answered. "Elisha, can you stay with Stas and we'll go get the guys?"

"Yeah, of course." She smiled.

Caitlyn and I left, but I still couldn't keep my tears back. "It's okay. They're both fine." Caitlyn soothed.

"I was so scared." I whispered. I hadn't realized we'd reached Jason's room until a pair of arm wrapped around me tightly, burying my face in their chest. I cried a little harder.

"Shh. Baby, it's okay." Shane whispered to me. I was mad at him, but at the moment, my emotions were going overboard and I needed him to hold me. I almost lost another friend. Two friends actually. I was crying from all worry that hadn't been released yet and I was crying from the relief. On the bright side, maybe this would prompt Jason and Anastasia to get back together.

Hope you enjoyed. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Sappy, fluffy, dramatic. Majority of this chapter is Smitchie, who have been neglected the last few. We've got a huge argument and Valentine's Day. And, I'd like to point out to you all how much work goes into chapters like this one. _SourSkittles_ and I spent… what was it Allison, 3 hours? Working on this idea. Okay, _she_ spent like 3 hours on it. I really owe her a lot with this story. And, my mother is home and I know have to take care of her, as well, as my annoying spiteful Husky and my lazy father. Ugh.

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Chapter 8

We checked into a hotel for the rest of the weekend. I finally called Mom around 5 am. She wasn't too pleased that I was in a different state then the one I was supposed to be in, but understood.

"We're all good." I assured her. "For the moment." I added unintentionally.

"What?" She asked as Shane came into our hotel room.

"Nothing, Mom. I'll call you later. Love you." I quickly hung up on my mom.

"How's the dog doing?" Shane asked, avoiding the topic like normal.

"Jake's fine. He's a dog. Separation anxiety only lasts a little while." I said, my anger growing by the second. "Shane, when were you going to tell me?" I demanded.

"Tell you what?" He asked facing away from me and pulling off his shirt.

"God damn it, Shane. You promised me!" I yelled at him.

He lowered his head, still not facing me. "I know." He said sadly.

"Why haven't you told me?" I asked, still hurt.

He sighed. "Because I knew you'd flip out. Like you are." He pointed out.

"Because you lied to me!" I was still yelling.

"I didn't lie!" He yelled back, now looking at me for a moment. He quickly looked away again. "I just… didn't know how to tell you." He finished quietly.

"Damn it, Shane." I swore again, now on the verge of tears. "It's bad enough that it's a tour… but Europe?"

"I was trying to push the date back before I told you." He admitted.

I tensed. "What's the date?" I asked, emotion draining out of my voice.

"Right now? We leave the middle of May."

I felt a sob lodge in my throat. "Prom… and graduation… Shane…" I fought to keep my tears in. "You promised." I finished weakly.

He moved off the bed he was sitting on to face me. He held my arms in his hands as he coaxed me into lifting my head to look at him. "I know. I know I promised. I was trying to push back until July…" He explained.

"That's still this summer, Shane…" I sighed. He wiped away a stray tear that rolled down my cheek.

"I know."

I pushed out of his arms. "No, you don't. You made plans. _We_ made plans for this summer. We were going to live together before school this summer… with Jacob… Shane- what are you going to do when we have kids? Just tell them, 'Sorry, Daddy has to go on tour for 6 months. I'll miss a bunch of important stuff and I promise I'll make it all up to you.'?" I looked over my shoulder at him before turning around to face him again. "Seriously, Shane." I looked anywhere but him. "I can't believe I was so stupid." I started heading for the door. He caught my wrist like always.

"Mitchie…" He said softly. "Don't leave. We need to finish this. Don't leave." I sighed, knowing he was right. We needed to be mature about this. I dropped my hand but won't look at him still. "Why are you stupid?" He asked.

"For believing I meant more than your music did." I said, staring intently at my shoes. He dropped my wrist as if he were burned. I looked at him from over my shoulder. He was know looking at his own shoes.

"I can't believe you just said that." He looked up at me with so much hurt in his eyes. "Do you _really_ think that?"

"I don't know, Shane." I whispered. "Sometimes I think that as much as you love me, your band is more important. And yeah, if I'm just your girlfriend, that's fine. But _you_ are the one who thinks of me as so much more. _You_ are the one who wants to marry me. What happens when I _am_ your wife, Shane? Tell me. Then what? Do you really see Connect 3 being over with anytime soon? Cause I don't. Everyone loves your new sound. There is no way you aren't going to be around for another 3 years at least."

"Not if I don't have you." He answered me softly. "Mitchie, you _are_ that sound. You're my _music_. Without you, I'm lost."

"Shane… as sweet as that may have sounded in your head… it just came out totally wrong." I said, smiling sadly and reaching for the door knob. "When you can tell me that I'm more important than your music, and prove it, I'll believe you." I went out into the hallway, the door closing softly behind me.

Nate and Caitlyn were across the hall. I could hear their argument and wondered if people could hear mine and Shane's.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Caitlyn yelled. "I wouldn't have cared, Nate. I'm going to be away at school anyway." She explained.

"Because Shane asked me not to."

She screamed slightly. "Why does everything in our relationship come back to Shane or Mitchie?" She demanded. "If Shane cheated on her, you would too?" She asked sarcastically. "What is the big deal about this damn tour? Europe, okay, great. You'll be across the oc-"

"We leave in May." Nate yelled over her. It was silent after that. I took the opportunity to interrupt and knocked. "What?" Nate snapped ripping open the door.

"Why don't you go sleep with Shane." I suggested, pushing past him into the room. He huffed and left, casting a last look back at Caitlyn.

"Guys suck." Caitlyn decided as I sat on the bed next to her.

I nodded. "Yes. Yes they do."

We spent the rest of the weekend with Jason or Anastasia, avoiding our boyfriends at all costs. Elisha gave us clothes to borrow, while we were there. By the end of the weekend, Jason and Anastasia were back together. As soon as they were near each other, Jason pulled her onto his lap and kissed her passionately.

"I love you." He whispered hoarsely. "Can we please stop playing this game?" He asked hopeful. She nodded, kissing him again. We all smiled. My eyes flickered to Shane's for a moment, but I looked away a moment later. He hurt me. And he hadn't said anything to me since I left the room Saturday morning.

The car ride home on Sunday was quiet. Caitlyn and I sat in the back seat together, sharing headphones. Nate was on the other side of me, since Jason was up front with Shane, and none of them seemed pretty happy about it. We really didn't care much.

We kissed their cheeks before getting out the car. "Mitchie." "Caitlyn." They said at the same time. They looked at each other, and then us. "We're sorry."

"Shane I told you what you have to do." I said walking away from him.

Caitlyn said something and followed me into the house. I turned my computer on when we got into our room. Caitlyn sat at her own desk and did the same. Hers loaded first of course. She had a tricked out awesome computer. I had a basic computer that let me edit music in exchange for loading really slow.

"Ugh." I complained as I waited. "I hate my computer." I whined, frustrated already.

"I love Jensen." Caitlyn replied, already loading the internet.

I looked at her confused. "…Ackles?" I asked.

She giggled. "Yes. But no. My computer's name is Jensen." She said laughing.

"Oh. Mine is El Estúpido. Because it's muy stupid." I said tapping my desk impatiently. "You know what else is muy estúpido? My boyfriend. My boyfriend is masivo estúpido."

"Wow. You _must_ be mad. You almost never spaz out in Spanish." Caitlyn commented. I glared at her as my computer finally loaded only for me to see a picture of myself and Shane on the background. I let out a frustrated groaned and stomped out of the room, while Caitlyn laughed, watching me go.

It wasn't until a week later that I actually saw my boyfriend again. He'd text me good morning and goodnight like he did every time we fought. But it was always _Good morning, I love you. _and _Goodnight. Sweet dreams. Love you._ That was it.

Exactly a week later, Caitlyn and I came home to find Shane in our bedroom with Jacob, obviously waiting. Caitlyn dropped her book bag and went back downstairs.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, turning my computer on, knowing it would take a while.

"I give up." He said, coming to stand behind me.

I stiffened. "On?" I asked, assuming he meant our relationship.

"Trying to figure out how to prove to you that you mean more than my music." He said, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders, silently willing me to face him. I wouldn't.

"Mitchie… music is my life. My life line. But it's not my everything. You are. Seriously, without you, there is no music. Not music that makes me happy, anyway. You make me happy and let me write music that makes me happy. I'm lost without music. I thought of like six different sets of lyrics to tell you how I feel about you and how important you are to me, but then I realized I couldn't use music. That just sucked.

"And when we have kids, I won't be on tour or they'll be with me, remember? When the oldest is old enough for school we're going to buy a house in New York and settle down. I don't want to miss stuff. And I intend not to. I don't plan on being a pop star my whole life. I _do_ intend on being with you for the rest of my life, though. Music means to me as much as it means to you. I can't explain why it's so important to me, it just is. But I've learned there are more important things in life.

"And you have to remember that I'm not in a band by myself. My best friends are there, too. My decisions aren't always made by just me. The label wants us to do a European tour. And… well… Jason and Nate seemed really into it. I've been trying to push the date back, baby, I have. I'll push it back until September if I have to." He sighed, having not stopped too much during his monologue.

"I think you did." I said softly, turning around.

"Did what?" He asked.

"Proved to me how important I am without music." I said standing up. I kissed him, catching him off-guard. He walked us backwards to my bed. As he sat back, he pulled me onto his lap.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked as we pulled back to catch our breathe. I nodded and kissed him again.

Valentine's Day was in a two weeks at that point. I was determined to give him _something_. So, I went with the ultimate cliché. I made him a mixtape. Or CD rather.

"Cait, I think I'm going to make him a CD." She looked over at me.

"Do you have enough songs written?" She asked.

I shook my head no. "No. Not our songs." I said simply. "Other people's."

"Wait. You're going to give one of the hottest pop/rock stars in the world a mix tape of other people's music?" She asked confused. "Are you sure you don't want to write the songs yourself?"

I shook my head again. "No. Been there, done that. This takes time. It's one thing to, you know, write out your feelings. But when you have the amazing inspiration of love, it's easy. And I've written him songs, he's written me songs. It loses its specialty when you write a lot of songs. I mean, inspiring is one thing- off track. Okay, but it takes time to think of songs that fit you and them and find the meaning behind the words and… all that."

"Makes sense." Caitlyn said before her phone beeped. She giggled.

"What?" I asked trying to look.

"No." She pulled her phone away. "Nate just told me what Shane is doing for Valentine's Day. I think the uh… Mix Tape, is a good idea." She smiled, biting her lip to keep from laughing. You will come to find out why later.

I spent the next two weeks working on my present. I wrote out many explanations to the songs. Eventually I narrowed the list down to 20 songs and picked the explanations I liked. Then I made him a little CD jacket. The cover was a picture of Shane and I, with all the explanations and lyrics inside. I couldn't wait until Valentine's Day. He was taking me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant this year.

I bought a new white dress to wear. It fell to my knees, covering them just slightly. I really wanted to curl my hair, but decided to compromise and placed single curls on top of my straight hair every few inches. It came out really nice. Shane dressed in his usual suit jacket, with a red button up underneath it. His tie was limp and not where it should have been, like normal.

I smiled as I took his offered hand. "You look amazing." He whispered in my ear as I kissed his cheek. I blushed. My present was gripped firmly in my hand. "Come on. I really want to give you your present, so…" He pulled me out to his car.

The restaurant was a cute little French place. Between dinner and desert, we opted to exchange our gifts. He handed me a flat square. I eyed it suspiciously, handing over his. "Open yours first." He commanded. I bite my lip and did so.

My eyes went wide and I began laughing. "Open yours." I said laughing.

"You aren't gonna look at it?" He seemed slightly disappointed.

"Shane. Open yours." I said again. He rolled his eyes and sighed, but opened it none the less. He began laughing as well. "See."

"Wow. Who would have known we'd pick the _same_ thing to do." He said shaking his head. He flipped it over to examine the songs. He laughed a bit harder. "We have some of the same songs, too."

"What?" I finally flipped it over and looked at the CD case in my hands. "Oh my god. Yup. Thunder-" I said, before he cut me off.

"Because it's perfect for us. _Your voice is the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you're unlike any other?_" He sang softly to me across the table. He looked at the CD case. "Hate That I Love You? You put that too?" He looked up at me.

"_You know exactly what to do so that I can't stay mad at you for too long. That's wrong but I hate it._" I sang softly as well. "When do we ever manage to stay mad at each other for too long? And you put it on there, too." I explained. I continued to skim. "Woodale? You listen to Woodale?" I questioned.

He laughed. "Actually, Nate suggested that one."

I smiled. "Cait did, too. They knew all along! That's why she laughed."

Shane shook his head in laughter. "Wow, we have a lot of Lifehouse on these." He commented.

"You have more." I said after I counted them. "You have 5. Why do you have Whatever It Takes on here?" I asked. He nodded toward the case in my hands. I opened it and read under Whatever It Takes: _I know I don't let you in a lot, and I'm working on that. I hope you can see that. I hate seeing you cry, and I hate it even more when I know that your crying because of me. It kills me to know that I hurt you so much. I know that there's always going to be a million reasons for you to leave me, but I'll do whatever it takes to prove to you there is at least one reason for you to stay. I love you more than anything. _"Awe, Shane." I sighed.

"Bleeding Love? Seriously? The chick in that song is like crazy." He asked seriously confused. I smiled and nodded toward his case. Inside I wrote: _Do you know how many people came up to me and told me you deserved better when we first started dating? Most of my high school. My family wasn't too keen on us either. It hurt pretty bad, because a part of me believed them and wanted to listen to them. Part of me still believes them every now and then, but every time I look in your eyes, and every time you tell me you love me, all the fears and all the worries of other people wash away. Because your right, there's always going to be reasons for us to not be together, but as long as there's that one, we'll be ok. When I'm with you, I don't care what other people think or say. Because all that matters is that I love you. _"Wow. People were really against us, huh?" He asked slightly depressed.

"Yup. Even Nate and Caitlyn." I sighed. "But they've all seen they were wrong. And I don't even care anymore. I just love you and want to be with you and if that makes me crazy, well, so be it." I smiled at him.

"Well, I'm crazy about you." He said smoothly.

I giggled. "I know. Crazy For This Girl gives that away." I smiled as he rolled his eyes playfully. "Run. I love that song." I said tracing it with my finger.

"You don't know how hard it was leaving you when I went on tour. Every night, I would lay awake, just waiting for you to come through the door, with that bright smile on your face. I was so close to just leaving, and coming home to you. But then I would remember that it wasn't my choice if I got to stay or go. I hated being away from you Mitchie. I was so happy when you finally were." He explained.

I giggled. "Did you rehearse that? Cause you wrote almost the exact same thing."

He smiled and shrugged. "Things I'll Never Say? That is particularly ironic." He laughed.

"What? It's true. There _are_ a lot of things I _want_ to say, I just _don't_." I shrugged.

He smiled and read me the lyrics. "_If I could say what I want to see, I want to see you go down, On one knee, Marry me today, Yes, I'm wishing, my life away, With these things I'll never say._" He looked up at me expectantly.

"Wanna know a secret?" I asked him. He nodded. "I was… a little disappointed on Christmas."

His face fell. "I thought you loved the guitar…" He said dejectedly.

"I did!" I assured him. "I just… I don't know. Part of me half expected you to propose on Christmas." I admitted, not looking at him.

He chuckled, and grabbed my hand across the table. "Baby." He said softly, making me look at him. "First off, make up your mind." He teased lightly. "Secondly, I am not _that_ cliché. And thirdly, I told you. I have it planned out already. I want it to be special." He assured me. "Are you disappointed tonight?" He asked me.

I shook my head no. "Nope. This was a great gift." I smiled brightly.

He gave me a playful look. "Yeah, I don't think my gift even compares to yours."

"Please. You have Enrique Inglesis on here." I teased. "You coulda picked one of his Spanish songs _at least_."

"Forgive me for not knowing Spanish." He replied equally teasing. "You sure you aren't disappointed?" He asked seriously.

I smiled. "Shane. You can never disappoint me. Even when you do, you always fix it."

"I love you." He said softly.

"I love you, too." I smiled back.

"Oh, but that wasn't why it was ironic." He said suddenly. "You have Avril Lavigne, and I have Sum41." My eyes skimmed down to the very bottom. _With Me_ was the last track on the CD. "I jut find it funny since Avril and Deryck are married… It'd be funnier if you had When Your Gone on here."

I shrugged. "Well… I wasn't sure about it. I mean, sure she knows exactly what every rock star's wife or girlfriend is feeling. Sometimes I want to forget you're a rock star or pop star and just remember you're my boyfriend."

"I get it." He smiled. "But _With Me_ was just perfect. Every moment I'm with you, I never want it to end. I never want to leave your side. I'll never let you go Mitch, I couldn't ever let you go. I'm nothing if I'm not with you. I make mistakes a lot, we all know that. But do you know, every time I make a mistake, I'm scared I'll lose you? I'm afraid to tell you things like about the tour because I'm afraid you'll get fed up and leave. I can't lose you. I mean it every time I say I love you. And each time I say it, I mean it more than the time I said it before. Because every day I love you a little more, and I would do anything to show you that." I gave him a watery smile. We sat in silence, just watching one another.

After a few minutes our desert came out. "We should bring Jason home something." I said thinking.

"Nah. He said not to. Stas is coming down this weekend." Shane replied. "I'm glad they're back together. Jason is really becoming himself again."

"Are you sure it's not the painkillers?" I asked, half serious.

"Mitchie, need I remind you of who Jason is?" He asked in the same fashion. I smiled and shook my head. I was very happy that Jason was becoming himself again.

"Were Nate and Cait going to the apartment or the house?" I asked pushing my desert away from me.

"House. Caitlyn hasn't been feeling well lately, so."

I nodded. "I think it's a side effect of the pill." I nodded in understanding.

"Yeah…" Shane stood up, slightly uncomfortable. I smiled at him. He had no problem discussing the fact that we got our periods or me being on the pill, but Caitlyn being on it weirded him out. "Let's go to the apartment for a little while before I have to take you home." He said holding out his hand for me to take.

I smiled to myself, knowing that in a few months, home wouldn't be two different places anymore.

The CD's we made are in my profile. Yeah, we spent a lot of time on that. Lol. At 1 in the morning we started working on that, I believe.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys. Sorry about the lack of updates. I wanted to have this up last night, but I had a sick husky to deal with. I love my Kikee and all, but ew. And then I was just _not_ in the mood to write. Anywho: More drama. I know, I know. 'There is no way all this crap happens in real life'. You'd be surprised.

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Chapter 8:

After making out at the apartment for a while, Shane decided we should stop before he lost it and took me home. We didn't say much in the car, just listening to his CD, playing the songs that were on both. Shane was singing softly along with the radio while I hummed.

He insisted on walking me to the door. That was one_ hell _of a good-night kiss. When I came inside a while later, Caitlyn was curled up into a ball crying, Nate rubbing her back soothingly. I quickly ran over to her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Nate shrugged and looked at me helplessly. "I don't feel good." Caitlyn whimpered.

I knelt on the floor so I was eyelevel with her. "What hurts? Did you tell Mom?" She shook her head no.

"My stomach." She cried. "My head."

"Nate, go get my mom." I instructed. Nate ran out of my room. "Cait." I said softly, taking Nate's place. "You'll be fine, okay?" I said trying to calm my own nerves of what could be wrong with her.

"She's not here!" He cried. "She's still out with Steve." He said frantically.

"How are you getting home?" I asked.

"I was going to stay because she was so sick. Shane was supposed to take me home, but I texted him while you were still at dinner." I pulled out my phone and sent Shane a text before turning to Caitlyn.

"Come on. I'm taking you to the hospital." I said, helping her try to stand. Eventually, Nate and I ended up caring her down the stairs. Well, mostly Nate. I just made sure he didn't drop her.

"How are we getting her there?" Nate asked as we got her downstairs.

Shane came rushing inside a moment later. "I think I just broke about 16 different driving laws." He said ushering us outside. I sighed in relief that he was there. We got in the car and drove to the hospital. I called my parents who wouldn't be home for another hour or so. They said they'd meet us there.

We ended up waiting in the emergency room for awhile, with Caitlyn in a lot of pain still. She had her head in Nate's lap as she cried. He did his best to comfort her.

"Caitlyn Gellar?" A nurse finally called. When we got into the hospital room, the nurse started asking a bunch of questions that Caitlyn, myself or Nate tried to answer.

Shane wrapped his arm around me as they wheeled her off to do tests. "She'll be fine." He said softly. He pulled Nate under his other arm. "Come on, let's go get coffee and call Jason and her parents, okay?" I smiled. Jason was more important than her parents in Shane's eyes. Then again, he was in all of our eyes. My parents acted more like parents than Caitlyn's did, though it wasn't _entirely_ their fault.

"She's not, like, miscarrying a baby or something, is she?" Shane asked Nate seriously.

Nate's face looked horrified. "Dude, we haven't had sex in over a year." He exclaimed loudly. The few people in the cafeteria looked at him with looks of sympathy and humor. "I mean, there is no way she could be." He lowered his voice. "Unless… she… cheated on me. You don't think she's cheating on me do you?" Nate became suddenly frantic.

"No." I assured him. "She loves you, promise."

He visibly relaxed and slumped in his chair. "That was frightening."

I smiled at him. "Sorry." Shane said trying not to laugh.

"I have no idea what's wrong, but it's not a possible pregnancy." I said to the two boys. "It's probably just the pill, I hope." I said shrugging. Both boys looked around the room uncomfortably. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Come on, let's go back." Nate said standing up.

When we got back to the room, they were bringing Caitlyn back, who was asleep. "How is she?" I asked the nurse.

"She'll be fine as soon as the toxins pump out of her stomach," The nurse assured us. Nate sighed heavily as he dropped into the chair next to her bed.

"Thank god." He said, grabbing her hand. "Where did she possibly get toxins from?"

"I'll send a doctor in." The nurse said, slipping out of the room. I shrugged in response to Nate, unknowing. My phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Oh. Mom and Dad are here." I said reading the texts I'd just gotten.

"I'll go get them." Shane offered, leaving Nate and I to stay with Caitlyn. There was only one chair in the room and I was tired, so I sat on Nate.

"You're comfy." I commented as he 'oofed' under me.

"As long as your good, Mitch." He said, adjusting slightly.

"Do you mind?" I asked.

He laughed. "Nah. It's good. I don't want to be gentlemanly and give you the chair cause I'm just as tired." He admitted. "But I can't help feeling bad if you're standing."

"Thanks, Nate." I ruffled his curls.

Mom, Shane, and Dad came in a few minutes later. Shane stopped and looked at Nate and I. "I'm not gonna ask."

I shrugged. "He's comfy." I teased. Shane rolled his eyes and stood next to us, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"How is she?" Mom asked moving to brush hair out of Caitlyn's eyes.

"Better. The nurse said there were toxins in her stomach." Nate answered. His eyes never left Caitlyn.

"From what?" Dad asked. We shrugged.

"Her birth control." A doctor said walking in.

"Her what?" Dad asked looking at Mom, who looked away. I giggled to myself. Mom never mentioned to Dad we were on birth control, evidentially.

"Miss Gellar is a rare case. Usually the toxin is so low it doesn't harm the body. It's an unfortunate side effect of the pills. It's why the first week or so women experience pain as the body adjusts to the toxins. However, Caitlyn never developed the immunity and her body isn't processing the toxin, only allowing it to build up."

"Oh, Cait." I sighed, reaching out to touch her hand that laying limply on top of Nate's. "This is my fault."

"It's a good thing you brought her in. Most times people mistake things like this for the flu or something else when it's really something that can really harm them."

"Good thinking, Mitch." Nate said softly.

"Is she going to be alright?" Dad asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes. As soon as her stomach is pumped. She'll be alright. She shouldn't continue with her birth control though. And, if the problem persists, then she should see her doctor immediately."

"Thank you." Mom and Dad shook the doctor's hand before they left.

"Shane, why don't you take Mitchie and Steve home, and Nate and I will stay with Caitlyn, because I know he's not leaving, are you, Nate?" Mom suggested.

"No." Nate said firmly.

"Mitchie, you have school, I don't want to hear it." She said as I began to protest. I closed my mouth. "Shane feel free to stay. It's really late." He nodded.

"Night, Mom." I kissed her cheek. "Nate." I kissed his as well and hugged him.

"Night, Mom." Shane said as well, causing Mom to smile a bit more. "Nate." Shane hugged Nate good-bye while I hugged Caitlyn's sleeping body. Dad said good-bye as well and we headed out to the parking lot.

As Shane and I crawled into bed a little while later, I sighed. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Too many trips to the hospital lately," I said softly.

He kissed my temple, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Well, she'll be fine. Thanks to you." He said trying to soothe me.

"Shane, it's my fault in the first place." I argued. "I was the one that wanted to go on the birth control, and she's the one who gets sick."

"You didn't know. And Connie is the one who made her. She's going to be fine and that's all that matters." I nodded.

The next morning, I awoke to an empty bed. I started playing my music so I could fully wake up. I saw it was almost 7, meaning Shane had taken Jacob out for me. I smiled and started getting dressed.

Of course, Shane decided to come back while I was doing so. He didn't knock, for whatever reason, and entered as I was putting a clean bra on. "Shit." He closed the door rather quickly and stayed on the other side. I laughed, though blushing.

"It's okay, you can come back in." I called through the door, now having a shirt on. "Why didn't you knock?" I asked as he peeked open the door before entering.

He closed the door behind him. "Didn't think." He said simply, collapsing onto my bed again. "Why don't you have pants on?" He asked, taking in my current appearance.

I looked at him oddly as I pulled a pair of jeans out of my dresser. "Because I didn't get that far?"

"Oh." He was looking away from me again. "I'm going to hell." He said simply.

"Why's that?' I asked, laughing slightly.

He shook his head and looked at my face, not allowing his eyes to drift anywhere else. "Because of the thoughts in my head at the moment."

I laughed at him as I pulled my jeans on. "You're crazy. You're like a saint physically. God can't blame you for the way I act around you."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but you aren't the one not even bothering to stop the thoughts."

I sat on the bed next to him. "Where's Jake?" I asked changing the subject as I pulled on my boots.

"Eating. Uh, Steve said to tell you to have cereal." He said, remembering. "And, he loves you. And have a good day at school."

I laughed at my father. "He's never been good at the whole off to school thing. He's usually gone by the time I get downstairs."

Shane nodded. "Well, today you don't have to walk." He said.

"Why not?" I asked, missing what he was saying.

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe because your boyfriend is here to drive you?" He asked.

"Oh." I laughed getting up. "I'm slow in the mornings." I said.

"I see that." He teased.

After I ate, he dropped me off for school. I received a few odd glances as I kissed him good-bye. And the fact that Caitlyn wasn't with me. "Where's Cait?" Sierra asked as I walked into school.

"Hospital. She had toxins in her stomach." I chose to leave at the why part. That was the last thing we needed. "Mom and Nate stayed with her, and Shane brought Dad and I home."

"Oh. I she going to be okay?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah. As soon as the toxins are gone." I explained. "So, how was Valentine's Day with Craig?" I asked.

"Good." She smiled. "Okay, _amazing_. He took me to dinner and bought me stuffed animal. It was clichéd, but adorable." She said rolling her eyes playfully. "What about yours? I imagine Cait's wasn't too spectacular."

"Mine was… hilarious." I decided. "Except from the whole… Caitlyn hospital thing."

"Did he like the Mix Tape?" She asked. "Or, CD." She corrected. "Is it still a called a Mix Tape if it's on a CD?"

I shrugged, having no idea. "He loved it." I said simply. "He agreed on a few of the songs." "That's cool. What did he get you?"

I smiled. "A Mix Tape."

"Yeah, I know you got him a Mix Tape. I helped with it, remember? What did _he_ get _you_?" She asked.

I laughed. "No, Sierra, he got me a _Mix Tape_ as well." I explained. "And we had some of the same songs on them."

"Ugh, you two are amazing." She shook her head. Craig came up behind her a moment later. "I'll catch up with you later, okay? Lunch?" Sierra said, as she started walking off with him. I smiled and nodded.

School was pretty slow and boring without Caitlyn. I spent a majority of the day texting Shane and Nate. Occasionally Jason, but he took forever to respond most times. I almost got my phone taken away because of all of the texting, too.

"Miss Torres. Cell phone." My math teacher demanded, holding out his phone.

"Uh, Mr. Zamour, Caitlyn's boyfriend was texting me to let me know how she is. I've been really worried about her all morning." Thankfully, that wasn't a lie. The last text received was from Nate saying how Caitlyn was doing.

"Oh really." He said. "Show me." I opened the text and Mr. Zamour read the text to the whole class. "_Better. They finally pumped all of it out of her stomach. We should be home around the time you get there. Is Shane at the house?_" My teacher handed me back my phone. "Well, _is_ Shane back at the house?" He asked teasingly. My teacher was pretty cool most of the time.

"I don't know. I wasn't texting him." I said as innocently as I could.

"Tell Caitlyn, I hope she feels better." He said before going back to Calculus. While he wasn't looking, I quickly sent him a reply back, that Shane was at the Hardware store with Dad because he was bored. As I sent the message, I saw Mr. Zamour looking at me out of the corner of his eye with a smile. I smiled back slightly, and slipped my phone into my bag.

Shane was waiting for me after school. "Is she home?' I asked.

"Hey, babe, how are you? Really? I'm good." He teased opening the car door.

"You have a serious issue of talking to yourself." I replied, climbing in as well.

"You and my sister have a serious issue of ignoring me." He threw back. "And yes, she's home."

I ran out of the car before it even came to a full stop. Shane laughed at me and came in a few minutes after me. I was already upstairs with Caitlyn and Nate, by that time. I was relieved to see her awake and well. She'd been really pale the last few weeks. We spent the rest of the night just hanging out in our room with the guys.

I couldn't shake the feelings I'd gotten that morning, though. It seemed really natural for Shane to walk to dog while I got up for school. To have breakfast, just us. To have him drop me off and pick me up. I was seriously liking those feelings.

Forgive me if that sucked horribly. I just wanted to get you an update because there is no guarentee i'll have another one up until Thursday or Friday. My cousin is sleeping over tonight and tomorrow, and the the concert is Wednesday, in which I'll be spending Tuesday and possibly Wednesday night at my friend's house. I feel bad making you guys wait so much.


	9. Chapter 9

Tada! She's back. And the concert was AMAZING. Omj…. I can't believe I just typed that… but OMG it was so good. Armor For Sleep was awesome, Atreyu was awesome, Street Drum Corps was awesome. Linkin Park? They were effing amazing! dies Okay, so now that I'm back from my mini vacation, I must inform you that I've been informed I'm going to be gone from the 1st to the 7th. Sorry? I promise to try to update as much as possible. I've got a bunch of random future scenes in my head. After the next chapter, the weird time jumps are going to increase. Possibly. But like I said, future scenes are totally being planned and/or written. Okay, so, new chapter.

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Chapter 9:

I was shaking. Caitlyn and I were sitting in an office at Berklee, awaiting our names to be called. We had auditions today. Caitlyn was confident that we'd be fine. However, I was nervous as anything. All Caitlyn had to do was hand over her CD, explain some things, and make a good impression. I, however, had to live up to the fact that I was dating Shane Grey and had released a number one hit with him.

Caitlyn, however, had just as much to live up to, though neither of us realized it. She had been credited with the music of said number one hit. They were expecting something absolutely amazing from her. Thankfully, because we weren't aware of this, she wasn't nervous and was confident in her music. She actually was using the track she'd made for another one of my songs. She and Nate had been working on it for weeks. Though they wouldn't be listening to my voice, it was on there.

Shane knew nothing of this song. He thought it was an old song Caitlyn wrote music for, not a new one. I still didn't want to tell him why I wouldn't do the contract with Lava. I wasn't with him just for that, and I was determined to show the world I deserved where I got in music.

While Caitlyn was in the room, I was left to shake nervously all alone. There were other people there, but I was scared.

Caitlyn came out looking a bit pale but very excited. "How'd it go?" I asked.

"It wa-"

"Michaela Torres." A lady called, cutting off Caitlyn's reply. I quickly stood up, leaving my stuff with Caitlyn, except for the track I was going to be singing over.

"Miss Torres." They greeted, smiling evilly. They seemed nice yet conniving. It scared me even more. "What did you plan on singing for us, today?"

"A song I wrote, _Who Will I Be_." I answered. Brown loved it and had suggested I sing that for my audition when he heard.

"Actually, we have a request. Normally, we don't do this. However, we've heard various rumors that we'd like to confirm or deny." One explained.

"Oh. What is it?" I asked, scared even more.

Another sighed, looking wary of this idea. "You've recorded a number one hit with Lava Records. However, we know in this line of work, _your_ voice may not be _just_ yours. We'd like you to sing _This Is Me_ sans Mr. Grey.

"Oh. Do you want me to sing his parts as well?" I asked.

"Can you?" One asked skeptically.

Out of nowhere, I had a sudden burst of bravado. "Actually, I can. I wrote the song, I know the words. And the parts Shane wrote he wrote _for me_. The notes are almost the same." I explained, my nervousness slowly disappearing. My need to show them that I deserved this overpowered my shyness and stage fright.

"Begin." The wary one instructed, and began playing the instrumental of my song. I was shocked, but began singing nonetheless.

As I hit the last note, my nervousness came back. "I'm sure it sounds better with Shane, but-"

"No. No. That was amazing, Miss Torres. Your voice… it sounds almost the exact same. It sounded familiar, though, not just from this song." She mused.

"You also just heard one of my other songs when my best friend Caitlyn came in before me. She's an amazing mixer and likes to take my songs and mix the music to them." I saw them look at one another out of the corners of their eyes, shocked I was promoting someone else, and not doing it in a obvious way. I was genuinely and sincerely speaking of Caitlyn, and they could see that.

"Miss Torres, I'm curious." The skeptical one asked. "Why haven't you recorded a CD of your own with Lava? I'm sure they made you sign a contingency contract."

I nodded, choosing my words carefully. "I want to prove I deserve what I achieve. In all honesty, Connect 3's producer offered to help me with a demo, but I declined. I want to be able to say, I got there on my own, with the help and support of my family and friends. I don't want anyone to be able to say, 'Oh, she's only gotten this far because of Shane.'" I explained. "You doubted my abilities when I came in here, and I believe I proved you wrong and showed you what I can do. I want to be able to show the rest of the world that, too."

The third one, who hadn't said much yet, asked, "Miss Torres, how do we know that you won't drop out or take a semester off to go on tour with your boyfriend or to go on your own tour or something of the like?"

I nodded in understanding. What fair was it if I was accepted and not someone else and then I dropped out or something? "You don't." I answered. "I don't. Me leaving to go on tour with Shane… well, most likely not anytime soon. While he's gone, I really put myself into my school work. I focus better than I ever have in my life because it's a distraction from missing him. And I don't plan on going on my own tour until I finish school. If then." They seemed impressed by what I had said.

"Very well, Miss Torres." Wary said.

I said good-bye to all of them and left the room. Caitlyn began asking a million questions, but I simply sat down and sighed.

"Cait, just call Mom." I said taking a deep breath. "I can't process at the moment." Mom had dropped us off at the school and headed to the Grey's to spend time with Shane's mother. Shockingly, they spent quite a bit of time on the phone together. They didn't get to 'hang out' much though. Mom was taking advantage of us being up there.

45 minutes later, Nicky and Mom pulled up in front of us. "Nicky, why are you driving?" Caitlyn asked, climbing into the back.

"Because I got my permit and Connie is awesome." She said back happily.

Caitlyn and I shrugged. I never got my permit because I didn't like driving, and Caitlyn had her license, she just never drove, also not liking it much.

"Are we staying or something?" I asked.

Mom nodded. "We're going to stay for dinner and spend the night. I know you've missed Nicky and I haven't spent time with Anita since Thanksgiving." She explained.

"Cool." Caitlyn and I said together.

20 minutes later, we pulled up to the Grey's. "Wow, Nick, you drive better than your brother." I complimented. Caitlyn agreed.

Mom gave me a curious look as if to say, 'Oh really?', but I quickly ran into the house.

"Mommy number 2." I hugged Mrs. Grey when I saw her. After one random conversation between Shane, Mrs. Grey, and myself, she became my second mother, or Mommy number 2.

"There's my favorite daughter-in-law." She smiled, hugging me back.

I smiled playfully, "I'm not yet, and if I was, I'd be your only daughter-in-law."

She laughed indifferently. "You're close enough." She said knowingly.

"So… I'm curious." Nicky said dragging us up to her bedroom. "You still haven't?" I laughed.

"Nicky, seriously…" I shook my head. "A. is that all you think about? And b, it'd be with your _brother_. Do you really want to know about your brother's sex life?"

"No, that isn't _all_ I think about. I just… it's like living vicariously because I've never been with someone long enough to want to. And I _know_ you want to." She explained.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but your brother wears a purity ring. So, it's not going to happen, Nick."

She shrugged back. "I guess." She had a weird look on her face. "How can you hold out?" She asked softly. "I mean, the _world_ knows he wants to, too, so how can you _possibly_ not just jump him?"

I smiled. "That vow means a lot to him. That's how. If I let him break that vow, then how can I ever expect him to keep any others he makes?"

"I get it." She answered.

Caitlyn spoke up next. "Nicky, it's hard, but you just have to remember what can happen. Trust me, it's tempting, especially once you do, but you have to make sure your relationship can handle it."

I smiled knowingly. "Ya know, this is different. Usually you just pester me about not believing me. Why all the questions this time?"

"What?" She asked alarmed, surprised that I caught on.

Caitlyn did as well. "Nicky, you aren't thinking about sleeping with Riley, are you?" She asked.

Nicky was quiet for a while. "Maybe. I mean, I do but I don't. Like, I really, really want to. But I don't know if I should."

I smiled. "You guys are coming up on a year soon, right?"

She nodded. "Yup. And, I don't know… I kinda feel like… maybe it's time… I've never had a boyfriend this long."

We smiled at her. "Neither have we. And they both wear purity rings, so we aren't in that situation." I said apologetically. "But, maybe you should to talk to _Riley_ about this. I mean, maybe _he_ isn't ready for that, and therefore you've no reason to be worrying."

She shrugged. "Maybe. I guess, I just assumed, teenage male equals horny."

We all laughed. "No, not every teenage male only wants sex. I think if that was all he wanted, he wouldn't have stuck it out this long. And the fact that Shane petrifies him."

"Speaking of my brother…" She said changing the subject. "Has he said anything more about proposing?" I had told her about the Valentine's Day conversation we had.

I shook my head no. "Nope. I don't know. I'm only 17. I'm not really worrying about it. I'm good with my promise ring for the moment. I mean, I'm getting ahead of myself looking for it. He's going to surprise me and completely blindside me, I know it. And, I guess I want it that way. I'd rather not see it coming."

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah. I just want a heads up so I know I'll like my ring." She teased.

Nicky giggled. "Yeah, if Nate plans on proposing, we best make sure Mitchie and Shane help pick out your ring."

"Yeah." Caitlyn agreed. "Mitchie, future reference: white gold, sapphire cut."

I smiled, laughing. "I like." I teased.

Nicky turned to me. "What about you Mitch?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." I bit my lip thinking. "You're brother is pretty good at buying jewelry." I commented. "Um, I guess, just gold so it matches the rest of his jewelry. Princess cut, maybe?"

"He does have good taste in jewelry." Caitlyn and Nicky agreed.

Later that night, we were sitting around the dining room eating dinner.

"So, Caitlyn, how are things? We haven't really talked much." Mrs. Grey commented. "Jason and Nate are like my children, and I feel bad I don't know you all that well."

Caitlyn blushed. "They're good. Nate and I have been working on a lot of music lately."

Mr. Grey nodded, impressed. "That's good. Seems like Shane and Mitchie will be writing the words while you and Nate write the music."

She and I shrugged, laughing in agreement. "Probably." We admitted.

"Now, both of you are going to be going to Berklee in September?" Mrs. Grey asked,

"Hopefully." We answered and laughed.

She smiled. "I'm sure you will. Well, you two are more then welcome to come stay for a night or weekend or whatever if you need to get away. Together or by yourselves." She offered. We nodded, not expecting ourselves to actually ever take her up on that offer.

"Mitchie, are you excited for your birthday?" Kevin asked, during a lull in the conversation.

I was surprised he remembered. "Yeah. You guys are coming down for the party, right?" I asked.

"Of course." He smiled. Kevin and I weren't nearly as close as Nicky and I were, but we had a mutual oddness. We would kid around and talk occasionally, but we had boundaries, I guess. We never really spoke on too intimate of a level, though I had given him advice about his girlfriend the one time we did talk on a more personal level. He stole Nicky's cell phone and called me. We hadn't really talked one on one prior to that, but now we spoke more frequently when we visited.

"Awesome." I smiled.

After dinner, we decided to go to bed. Caitlyn and I were staying in Shane's room, while Mom slept in the guest room. I smiled as I laid down, nuzzling Shane's pillow a bit. Caitlyn laughed at me.

I fell asleep quickly, but didn't stay that way. I crawled out of bed around 1 and headed down stairs. I curled up on the couch and called Shane.

"Hello?" He answer sleepily.

"It's weird." I commented softly.

More awake, he asked, "What is?"

"Sleeping in your bed without you in it." I explained. "I can smell you all around me, but you aren't there and it sucks."

"Now you know how I feel when I'm up there and you aren't." He commented.

"What?" I asked, not understanding.

"I can feel your presence there, even though you aren't there, which makes me want to hold you and you aren't there, so I can't."

"Oooh." I said.

"Go back to sleep, baby." He said softly. "Just, pretend I'm there."

I giggled. "Caitlyn doesn't hold me the way you do." I teased.

He groaned. "Not an image I needed, Mitch."

I laughed at him. "Sorry. It was too easy. I'll let you get back to sleep. Love you."

"Love you, too." He said back as I hung up the phone.

"You're so pathetic." A deep teasing voice said from the doorway. I looked up to see Kevin standing there, smiling at me. "I thought something was wrong when I heard you get up." He explained his stalker-like appearance.

"Oh. No, I just missed your brother." I laughed,

"So I heard." He came and sat next to me on the couch. "He's lucky he found you. I don't think he ever expected to find _the one_ after becoming so famous."

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Seriously," He laughed, "We'd be messing around or something, and he would be like 'Mom wants grandkids, remember that. I'd hate for her not to have them.' Which usually was a warning to stop whatever I was doing before I got hit in the… yeah. But I would taunt him saying there was always him and Nicky for that. But he would just shake his head and say Nicky was never having sex." He laughed again. "Somehow, I see him being the only one giving Mom grandkids."

"Not you and Nicky?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe Nicky, I don't know. Me, though? I just… can't think that far into my own future. I can barely see my relationships lasting another week much less long enough to have kids."

"You're only 15, it's alright." I smiled at him. "I hate thinking about the future. Or, I used to. I've started to more thanks to Shane, but it's rare that I do. Sometimes you can' t see the future because you aren't meant to. If you can't see yourself with someone long enough to have kids, it's probably because you aren't going to be."

"Why is when we _do_ talk it's all philosophical and stuff?" He asked smiling.

I shrugged. "I don't know. At least you don't hate me anymore."

His smiled dropped a bit. "I didn't hate you. Nick did. I just, followed her lead. I'm not good with new people." He admitted.

"That's cool. And I don't mind if the only time we talk it's meaningful. So long as we talk _sometimes_."

He nodded. "Yeah, unlike my sister, I don't need to know about my brother's sex life. Of course, if I did want to know, I'd ask him, personally."

"Good." I replied. "Let's go back to bed, shall we?"

"Well, I need to _go to bed_ before I can go back." He laughed. I shook my head as he helped me up.

I smiled before I fell asleep again. Kevin was a lot like I used to be. But Shane changed that. I saw myself looking toward the future and the life I was sure I'd be enjoying with Shane. Sighing, I fell asleep with peaceful dreams of Shane and I and our future.

* * *

_Hello and welcome to Addicts Anonymous Hot Line. If you are addicted to Camp Rock in general, press 1. If you are addicted to the Jonas Brothers, press 3. If you are addicted to Camp Rock fan fiction, press 3. If you are addicted If you are addicted to the stories After The Credits Roll and Life Keeps Going press 4. If you are simply addicted to Bree press 5. If you are addicted to more than one of the previous, please press 6 for the nice men in white coats to come get you. Thank you._


	10. Chapter 10

So, there were so many of you who needed the nice white men, that they gave up. Ha. So, long chapter. And I _hope_ you like it. However, if you are going to complain about anything, PM me so we can discuss it. I hate getting reviews that tell me 'I think…' insert negative thought. Anywho, I think you will like it. And, I've tried to keep it realistic. And don't worry, there will be bumps along this road. Ha. That's a pun.

And anyone who read the one-shot I wrote… yeah, song-fics aren't my strong suite, and I would have felt bad if I _didn't_ write it, so… don't hate me too bad for writing that.

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Chapter 10:

A few weeks later, Caitlyn and I came home from school to find envelopes with our names on them sitting on the kitchen table. Seeing that they were from Berklee, we quickly opened them. We couldn't wait to see the results.

We screamed and started jumping up and down. "Oh my god, we got in!" We yelled together, seeing the huge smiles on the other's face.

"I can't believe it." I screamed.

"Oh my god!" Caitlyn yelled back. We quickly sent the guys texts to go find one another and call one of us.

A few minutes later, Caitlyn's phone rang. Instead of answering hello, we screamed, "We got in!"

We heard ow's followed by congratulations.

"We are totally taking you out to dinner this weekend!" Jason said happily.

"Ooh. Saturday." I demanded.

Caitlyn agreed. "Oh, yeah. So Stas can come."

"Definitely!" Jason cried.

"Okay, well I was in the shower and still have suds in me hair, so… we'll call you later." Nate said.

"Later." We replied.

We attacked Dad when he came in from work later that night, and Mom as well. They were both very proud of us.

Dinner with Anastasia was so much fun. It finally felt like it had way back when. It was really cute to watch Jason attached to her hip, too.

Nate felt utterly inspired and decided to give a heart felt speech in the middle of dinner. He lifted his glass to all of us. "In the last year and a half, we've been through so much together. We've survived a tour, we've survived horrible press, we've survived break ups, and make-ups. We've all had our fair share of fights. We've survived friends and girlfriends going away to college. We've survived car accidents and through it all, we've become so much closer. This-" He looked around at all of us. "This is who we are supposed to be with forever. Not just our girlfriends and boyfriends. No, our friends. Our family. The six of us. Friends for life." He raised his glass even higher.

"Friends for life!" We all called out to him afterwards.

"Where'd that come form?" Anastasia teased.

He smiled. "You. Seriously, Stas, we've missed you. It wasn't the same while you were gone. But also the fact that now the girls are definitely leaving us for 4 years. It's a reality check. We need to make sure nothing breaks us apart."

I smiled. "Nothing ever will." I said confidently.

Caitlyn agreed. "Too bad we aren't old enough, otherwise I'd say '_Now, we get drunk_!'" We all laughed and enjoyed the rest of the night, though not drunk.

Three weeks flew by after that and it was finally my birthday. Shane had been acting oddly, but I assumed it had to do with my birthday surprise. Last time he was this odd he bought me Jacob. My baby wasn't a puppy anymore, though. He was now a year old and his full size. Oh well, he was still cute and adorable and ours.

Once again, we were partying twice this year. My family party, of course. But the guys decided I needed a 'proper' 18th birthday party. They argued that we'd thrown Anastasia and Caitlyn huge parties and now it was my turn, despite my protests. The only difference this year was the family party was the day after instead of the other party.

"You should curl your hair for tonight." Shane commented, while he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

I smiled and turned in them. "I thought I wasn't allowed to?" I teased.

He looked down at me. "It's your birthday, you should look absolutely, amazingly beautiful." He kissed me softly. "More than you normally do."

"So, does that mean you'll take a shower before we go to bed tonight?" I asked. "Since it's my birthday and all."

"If you want my hair curly, sure." He agreed.

"Well, I'm going to kick you out of my room now, so I can go shower and everything if I'm curling my hair." He pouted momentarily before his eyes light up. "No, you can't join me."

He laughed slightly. "Not what I was going to say. Do you trust me to pick out your outfit?"

I eyed him carefully. "Depends. Do I get final veto power?"

He shook his head no. "Caitlyn does." He offered.

I shrugged. "I suppose. Nothing slutty." I warned.

"Do you even _own_ anything slutty?" He asked as I walked away.

I smirked at him over my shoulder. "You've seen the stuff Stas has made me buy." I reminded him. "You never know."

I laughed as he mumbled. 30 minutes later, I turned off the shower and pulled on my big fluffy towel. I was mildly worried Shane was in the room still, but the number of times we'd seen each other practically naked in the last year was too many to be worried.

Thankfully he wasn't, though, and had laid my outfit out on my bed. Next to it was scribbled a note. _Yes, I know half of this is Caitlyn's. But, she approved of it, so, deal. Love you._

I shook my head as I looked down. A black skirt and white button down shirt that were mine laid next to a black vest and a fedora, which were Caitlyn's. The sleeves of my shirt were rolled up to the elbows. I shook my head as I began to get dressed.

While I was curling my hair, Caitlyn came in not ready for the party at all. She was wearing jeans that I was fairly certain were actually Shane's and one of Nate's t-shirts.

"Here." She handed me a pair of peep-toe heels and a pair of black pantyhose. "And you are to wear you're my red choker." She tossed it to me.

"Why aren't you ready yet?" I asked, pulling the last curl out.

She winked at me and disappeared back out of our room. I shook my head but finished getting dressed nonetheless. My best friend and boyfriend were plotting something, I could tell.

I headed downstairs when I finished getting ready. Shane was coming in with Jacob as I reached the middle of the steps. He looked up at me and smiled brightly. "Wow. You look amazing." He complimented.

I smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself. Is there are reason we match?" I asked. He was wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt as well. A red tie laid loosely around his neck, as always. "Nice suspenders." I teased.

"I thought you'd like them." He smiled, grabbing our coats. It wasn't cold out anymore, but it was still a bit chilly. When he placed his own hat on, I laughed softly to myself. "Everyone else is at the apartment already. We're going to be late, though." He said.

"Why?" I asked.

He smiled and reached for my hand as he started the car. "Because we're gong out to eat first."

I smiled at him. "Dressed like this?" I asked disbelieving.

"Yup." He popped the p on the end of the word.

"Okay, Pop Star."

A little while later, we were at a cute little restaurant in NYC. There was a 40's theme with a modern twist to it. There were other couples and groups spread through out the restaurant, all dressed up like us as well. I assumed the place had a strict dress code or something.

Shane led us to a table in the center of the room, slightly secluded from the others. We talked, laughed and enjoyed dinner. Every now and then, Shane would glance around the room or at his watch.

"What is up with you tonight?" I asked curiously.

"What?" He asked, looking over my shoulder. He smiled. "Dessert's here."

I looked at him confused. "We didn't order dessert." He smiled even brighter as a waiter came up behind me. When the cake was placed in front of me, I gasped. The cake wasn't very big. It was like one of those little Carvel cakes. However, the reason I gasped was because of the writing and the centerpiece of the cake. An open ring box sat in the middle with a beautiful gold band and princess cut diamond staring up at me. _Happy Birthday, Mitchie, will you marry me?_ Was written around cake. I started crying as Shane got down on one knee next to me, taking the ring box out of the cake.

"Mitchie, I was planning on waiting until your birthday next year, but I couldn't hold back anymore. You can totally say no, and I will totally understand. But everyday I'm with you I fall a little bit more in love. And if you say no, I will wait forever for you to say yes." He paused. "Mitchie, will you marry me?"

My hand was covering my mouth as tears of happiness streaked downward. I couldn't speak. I just nodded a lot. Shane eventually pulled me out of my chair and kissed me, spinning me around in happiness.

Applauds and congratulations were called out. When I heard a few familiar voices, I realized that the people in the room were all supposed to be at the guys' apartment.

"Oh my god, what are you all doing here?" I asked hugging all of them.

"Well, we wanted to surprise you, but that wasn't as easily done as it had been with the other two. And Shane couldn't decide if he wanted to propose to you alone or with everyone here." Nate explained.

"So, we managed to compromise. We were all here, you just didn't know it." Caitlyn said happily.

I was almost knocked over in a hug. "Sweet. You are now one step closer to really being my sister." I smiled as I hugged Nicky back. Next I hugged Kevin.

I didn't get to talk to them much, as Mom and Dad appeared next to me, hugging me tightly. "Congratulations, sweetie." Mom said.

"Oh my god, you knew about this?" I asked her.

Mom smiled brightly. "Who do you think helped him pick out the ring?" I looked at Shane who was smiling brightly while talking to my father. "Most parents would be saying 'no, she's too young.' But, when he asked your father and I for our permission and blessing, we didn't even think before saying yes. Sometimes, you just know when you have the one. I mean, you father proposed to me after graduation, and look at us. I know you'll be happy."

"Thanks, Mom." I hugged her tightly. It was then that she started crying.

"My baby's all grown up. She's 18 and engaged." She cried.

I cried a little, too.

"Okay enough of that! Time for cake!" Anastasia said, bringing out a much bigger cake, sans ring and proposal.

As everyone sang, Shane held me from behind. After I blew out my candles, I couldn't help but keep looking at my ring sparkling. It now sat where my promise ring had, which was now on my index finger of my left hand.

"Do you like it?" Shane whispered in my ear.

I looked at him over my shoulder. "I love it. How'd you know?" I asked.

"A little birdy or two might have told me." I shook my head, knowing that Caitlyn and Nicky were behind this.

Thinking of Caitlyn, I looked over at her. She was dress in black dress pants with pinstriped corset over a white dress shirt. "Question. Why was Caitlyn in your pants when she came upstairs?"

Shane smiled. "Because she was already at the apartment dressed to go and didn't have her own clothes with her. But I needed her to come and give you the shoes, so she threw on mine and Nate's clothes so you wouldn't see her dressed the way she was." He explained.

"Oooh." I nodded in understanding. "Thank you. This was an amazing birthday."

"Yeah, I know." He smirked playfully. I shoved him softly. "Let's dance." He pulled me on to the makeshift dance floor that had been made. Most of the tables had been pushed out of the way, but some were left for people to sit and talk.

I spent a good portion of the night dancing happily with my _fiancé_ and my friends and family. That night, the six of us- Nate, Caitlyn, Jason, Anastasia, Shane and myself, that is- all headed back to the apartment. Shane went to take a shower and wash out the restrictive product keeping his curls from me. I was already laying in his bed when he got back into his room.

I had been staring at my ring again. "Shane?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" He asked, pulling on a pair of boxers under his towel. His back was to me.

"Why are we getting married?" I asked. He froze before quickly finishing getting dressed. He came over to the bed, sitting down.

He looked at me confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you propose now? I mean, what's the difference between _this_," I nodded toward my engagement ring, "And my promise ring?"

He smiled softly. "Because… I don't honestly know. There was just something in me saying don't wait."

"You didn't propose so we could… sooner… did you?" I felt really bad asking that question. I didn't want to accuse him of only proposing so he could get laid sooner, I just wanted to know.

He looked away from me, slightly hurt. "No." He said looking me straight in the eyes. "Mitchie, I wasn't kidding when I said I would wait forever for you to say yes. I just… I want to marry you. Now or in 30 years." I smiled, my own words coming back to me.

"Okay. Now I can be excited again." I smiled. He leaned over and kissed me. It quickly escalated into more. Down side to our newest sleeping attire? Made making out before going to or getting out of bed a lot more frustrating.

He was kissing his way down my neck, nipping lightly. I gasped as he sucked on my collarbone. What really surprised me was when he nipped the skin just above me breast. "Shane." I warned, taking in a sharp intake of breath.

I felt him smirk before the moved back up to my face. "You rang?"

"Behave." I said smiling.

He groaned. "I don't wanna." He pouted. I kissed him quickly, before pushing him off of me. As I switched out positions he groaned again.

The next morning when we woke up, we both were littered in tiny bite marks across our upper bodies.

"12...13, 14... 15..." Shane counted the various marks he'd left the night before. "Damn, I was in a mood last night." He laughed.

I pushed him. "I only left like 7. You left twice as many." I pouted.

He smirked. "Who said I was done counting?" My mouth fell open from shock. I had no idea who he could have possibly left that many. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you to curl your hair."

"Where the heck did you manage to leave so many?" I demanded, jumping out the bed to look in his mirror. "Jesus, Shane." I gasped, seeing all of them. Both sides of my neck were covered as well as various places across my chest and shoulders. Don't worry, my bra never came off.

"You're missing the one on your hip. And don't say the Lord's name in vain." He mock scolded.

"What?!" I exclaimed looking down at my hip, where sure enough there was one. "How the…?"

"Remember when I was 'being a jerk and needed to stop being so mean?'" He quoted me. He decided to kiss down my stomach, teasing me ever so slightly. "Yeah," He said shrugging.

"I can't believe you." I groaned. I picked up his shirt and threw it on. "I have to see my family today. You better hope Stas will cover all of these."

"Turtleneck." He said smirking. I glared at him and headed to take a shower.

When I left the bathroom, I knocked on Jason's door. He opened it sleepily. "Mitchie, why are you only in a towel?" He asked. "And did you get attacked by a vampire or something?"

"Wake your girlfriend up." I said, ignoring his question.

He mumbled something, but woke her up anyway.

"Damn, Shane!" She yelled. I heard Shane laughing from his room. She grabbed her make up bag and took me into the bathroom. By now, Caitlyn had been woken up by all the noise and came in as well.

"Holy- What did you _do_?" She demanded.

"We didn't have sex." I said firmly.

She laughed at me. "Good luck getting Nicky to believe that with _those_."

I groaned. "Why am I the only one with a vampire for a boyfriend?" I asked.

Anastasia and Caitlyn shared a look before looking back at me. "Fiancé."

I smiled despite myself. "Whichever."

"Because Jason knows where to leave them." Anastasia said. "Surprisingly."

Caitlyn laughed, "And Nate doesn't know how to bite that hard."

"I have to see my family today." I pouted.

"I'd hate to be you." Anastasia said laughing.

Caitlyn was kind enough to suggest a scarf or a choker or something. "And, definitely a shirt that covers your chest completely."

I rolled my eyes as I head back into Shane's room to get dressed. Opening the drawer that had my spare clothes in it, I pulled out a pair of jeans. "Give me a hoodie, please?" I demanded.

Shane smiled as he tossed me one from his closet. He had a tie actually up wear it was supposed to be, hiding his own marks. He'd straightened his hair while I was in the shower and covering up the evidence.

"You aren't allowed to touch me until we get married." I commented, wincing as I pulled this sweat shirt over my swore neck and shoulders.

"But… that's like… forever away." He said panicked.

I smirked. "Says who?" I paused. "It's only like 5 years. After college." I said with as straight of a face as I could.

I watched his face falter slightly. "Seriously?"

I smiled at him. "I don't know. We'll see. Depends on if I survive today or not."

He just smiled and headed out to the living room.

"Shane?" I called out to him, causing him to back peddle into the bedroom again. "I don't want to tell my family, yet." He looked down, once again slightly disappointed. "I don't want them to ruin it like they do everything else."

"I get it." He said softly.

"Shane…" I sighed, moving closer to him, feeling guilty.

He smiled softly at me as he wrapped his arms around me. "It's fine. The important people know. If you don't want the world to know yet, that's absolutely fine." I could see in his eyes how much he wanted to call up every single tabloid and music magazine and station and tell them that we were engaged.

"Soon. I promise." I offered. He nodded, kissing me lightly.

"It's fine, baby." He said firmly, making sure I believed he was fine with it.

I slipped off my ring and handed it to him. "Keep it for me until then?"

He looked up at me confused. "Mitch- what…"

"I know if Steph sees it, everyone will know because she won't be quiet about it. And, if Rosie or someone at school sees it, the world will know by the end of the school day."

He nodded in understanding. He walked over to his dresser, opening the box on top of it. Pulling out the chain he'd worn my promise ring on, he slipped the engagement ring on it and clasped it around his neck.

He tucked it into his shirt as I placed my promise ring back on my ring finger. I wiggled my finger. "It feels different." I commented softly.

He smiled grabbing my head and lead me out of the room. "Anyone going to the house now, let's go. I'm leaving." Shane called out to the others.

Nate stuck his head out of his room. "Caity's still getting dressed, so we'll catch a ride with Stas."

"Who said I want you?" Anastasia asked, sticking her head out of Jason's room.

"Stas, can we catch a ride with you?"

She smiled. "Sure." And went back into Jason's room. Nate rolled his eyes at her.

My family birthday party was fine. Only Steph noticed the marks on my neck that were slightly visible. I think she was looking for them, personally.

Mom and Dad understood about me not being ready to tell people. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was confused about the engagement. Part of me wanted to drag him down to Atlantic City and get married, and the other part wanted to tell him we were moving too fast and to propose again in five years. I didn't know if I was ready to get married. At this point, I just really wanted to get through Prom in two months.

So... remember... negativity in PM's perferably. Thanks. :) And I'm totally doing this with on ehand at the moment cause I'm petting my attention-greedy husky with the other... you try typing with only your left hand and using the mouse with your left hand... when you're a righty!


	11. Chapter 11

Ello all. So, I was having trouble writing this since our power kept surging, which meant my computer kept restarting. I didn't attempt to write until a good hour after the storm passed. I'm glad you all liked the proposal. I knew there were going to be a lot of people who were going to think they were too young way back in ATCR when I decided how he was going to propose. So, hopefully, I built their relationship enough to make everyone see that they _should_ be getting married. I'm glad you all enjoyed the proposal. I must admit, it wasn't my idea. I was freaking out because it had to be _original_ and I was lost. My mother actually came up with it for me. You see the standards I have to meet?? Anyway. Prom dresses and fighting.

* * *

Chapter 11:

Call us procrastinators if you want, but really Caitlyn and I just had our priorities a tad mixed up. You see, we had the limo and everything booked for prom, we knew who was going in the limo with us, and we knew who our dates were, _obviously_. The part we hadn't done yet? Yeah, buy our dresses.

Prom was a little over 4 weeks away, and we hadn't bought our dresses yet. While Shane and Nate offered to take us to all the expensive uptown boutiques, we opted to do the normal girl thing. We went to local places where we wouldn't be spending 500+ on our dresses.

This is how Caitlyn, Sierra, Mom, and myself ended up at David's Bridal on a Saturday afternoon. Caitlyn and I were browsing, while Sierra was there for input. We needed a third opinion, and Anastasia was busy studying for her final exams. I hadn't really had much luck, though Caitlyn had found 5 or 6 dresses to try on. Sierra and Mom each found me a few, but I couldn't seem to find anything.

One half of the store was covered in David's Prom collection. Excessive dresses only to be worn once. During the non-prom season, this is wear all of their bride's maids' dresses were. The other half of the store was covered in wedding dresses. And that part of me that wanted to run off to Atlantic City? Well, that part kept glancing over to the wedding dresses.

"Get through Prom first, Mitchie." I mumbled to myself.

"What?" Sierra asked, looking up at me. I smiled quickly.

"Nothing. I was just saying… I love this dress." I pulled out material of the dress my hand had been hovering over.

She looked at me oddly. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "I know Shane loves green and all… but that's… _puke_ green."

My eyes widened, and sure enough, it was. "I meant this one." I quickly pulled out a red dress next to it.

"Come on, let's go try this stuff on." Caitlyn dragged me to the dressing rooms.

We each came out in our first dresses. Neither of us really liked the other's dress. Several dresses later, Caitlyn finally found her dress. "Perfect." We said together, admiring her dress.

The dress was fitted down to the middle of her rear, wear it flared out just enough. The dark purple looked really good on her.

I changed into my clothes and went to find Mom, who was trying to find me more dresses. When I went out to the main room, I found her admiring a maniquin in a wedding dress. I smiled. "Mom?"

"Oh," She seemed surprised to get caught looking at wedding dresses. "Did you find one?"

I shook my head no. "Caitlyn did though."

Mom loved Caitlyn's dress. While we were paying for it, a lone dress caught my attention. It was the last one on its rack. It was gold with green detailing. My eyes lit up as I moved toward it. I checked the size and squealed, though I will never again admit to that.

"Mom, I think I found it."

"Found what?"

"Prom dress."

I tried on the gold dress. It was a strapless corset top with a full, puffed skirt. The green detailing ran across the seem at the top in a beautiful design, as well as across the fold between the top and the skirt. Green netting was laid over the silky skirt.

I was in heaven. It fit perfectly. I was leaning away from a green dress, as sometimes it can get overbearing to wear the same color, but the gold and the green accented each other so perfectly. And it gave me a touch of green for Shane, yet not over kill on it, either.

We paid for both dresses, and made our way back home. Bored out of our minds now, we decided to watch HotTunes. We actually laughed at the show now more than let it bother us. We were constantly on there, as well as on the covers of magazines and tabloids.

"_Connect 3's newest tour _won't_ be coming to a town near you. The boys of C3 will be spending their summer in Europe, touring the continent. No word as of yet whether Jason Bishop's leg will be fully healed and ready to rock by then, but he will certainly be able to play his guitar. We're also curious as to whether or not the 3 lovely ladies of Connect 3 will be joining their boyfriends on tour this summer again."_

"What?" I shrieked. "This summer? Caitlyn, didn't they say the fall… like when we left?" Caitlyn wouldn't look at me. "Caitlyn."

"They pushed it back to July." She said quietly. "The venues weren't cooperating. They understood because of Jason's leg… but… they didn't see why the shows had to be pushed back to the fall. They were afraid the sales would drop if people weren't on break."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.

"Shane was supposed to. It's his place, not mine." She argued. I knew she was right. I needed to clear my head, though, so I put Jacob on his leash and took him for a walk. After a little while, my phone rang. I saw it was Shane.

As soon as I accepted the call, he began to speak, before I could even say hello. "I'm sorry." He said quickly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I told you I would try to push it back, and I wanted a definite yes or no before I told you."

"Shane…" I sighed. "You need to stop doing that."

"Baby…" He said softly.

"I'm walking Jake right now, I'll call you later." I hung up on him. Despite our numerous conversations about this particular problem, Shane still hadn't grasped the concept of keeping me clued in. I needed to know what was going on. He still felt the need to keep me separated from his problems. I understood why he did what he did, it just aggravated me. A lot.

"Daddy is stupid." I said, rubbing Jacob's stomach. Jacob just looked at me with a cute dog face. We were sitting at the park near my house. I'd been gone for a while already, as the sun was going to set soon.

"Yes, he is." A depressed voice said from behind me. I quickly turned to find Shane standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets. "You've been gone for like, 5 hours. Cait was worried." He explained.

"Oh." I replied.

"I was going to let you cool off and all, but she called freaking out, since you turned your phone off. I told her I'd come try to find you."

"How kind of you." I said tightly.

"Mitchie…" He sighed.

"I'm fine, Shane. Go tell Caitlyn I'll be home when I get there."

He sat next to me. "Can we please talk about this?"

"No." I said firmly. "We do, _every_ time. And you still don't get it."

He shook his head, not looking at me. "I hate seeing you get worked up over nothing-"

I cut him off. "Nothing?! Shane, you promised me and then you never told me about the tour in the first place. And then you said you'd push it back to the fall-"

"I said I would _try_."

"Oh whatever. Shane, seriously. How can you expect us to get married if you don't tell me things like this? You let me find out in the most awkward and random of ways!"

"What does it matter?" He yelled back at me, jumping to his feet. "You don't even _want_ to get married, so it doesn't matter how I can expect us to." He stormed off, leaving me alone and confused in the middle of the park.

My mind was racing. He didn't _really_ think that, did he? Oh, god, he did. He thought when I gave the ring back I didn't _want_ to get married. But that right there was what the biggest problem was. He still treated me like I was made of glass half the time. A marriage can't work like that.

I fought the hot, angry and depressed tears. I refused to cry over this. I quickly stood up, dragging a tired Jacob back to the house.

I entered the back door and took Jacob off of his leash. I stormed upstairs to my room, where Caitlyn happened to be.

"Oh, good, you're back. I was wor-"

"Leave me alone, Cait, please." I requested, pulling on my headphones and laying back on my bed.

But, like the dutiful friend she is, she didn't. Not quite. She sat on her own bed, doing homework, waiting patiently for me to talk about whatever was bothering me.

Finally, I got tired of arguing with myself and sat up on the bed. "What is his _problem_?" I demanded, pulling the headphones off.

"_His_ problem?" Caitlyn questioned.

"He wants us to get married and everything, but he's constantly breaking promises lately. And he never tells me things. He keeps me in the dark until someone else rats him out with the truth."

"True, but he's not the only one with a problem, Mitch." She said so nonchalantly, not looking up at me.

"What does that mean?" I demanded.

"It means you're sending him, _and the rest of us_, mix signals about this. You tell me you can't wait for him to propose at Christmas, and then after Valentine's Day, you say you don't care when he does. Then at your birthday you seemed so _happy_ about it, but turned around and gave him his ring back. What do you think that tells him? You are _constantly_ throwing your pending marriage back in his face. 'How can I expect this…' 'How can I expect that…' It's confusing, Mitchie. And don't think I didn't see you looking at wedding dresses earlier, either."

I blushed, having been caught. "Am I really that bad? Do I say that a lot?" I questioned, completely unaware.

"Yes." She replied.

I sighed and hugged my knees to my chest. "I don't mean to. I'm just scared, Caitlyn." I said softly.

She sighed as well. "You can't keep hiding because you're scared, Mitchie. That was perfectly fine when it was just you and Sierra. It was okay when it was just you and me, and Shane, Nate and Jason. But now? Now there is you and Shane and Nate and Jason and Stas and me and Jacob and Nicky and Kevin and Sierra. We all get caught in the middle of _your_ hiding. I know you're scared, but what are you so afraid of? Shane has bent over backwards time and again to show you how much he loves you."

"I don't know!" I yelled at her. "I don't know, okay?" I said more calmly. "I'm afraid this is all a dream. I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up any minute and I'm going to realize that I never went to Camp Rock, I never met Shane or you, I never made up with Nicole, I never finally found peace over Justin."

"Mitchie, that doesn't make any sense!" She sighed in frustration. "If you're so afraid this is all a dream, why not live it out? Live it to the fullest it can be lived. Though, this isn't a dream."

"Because if I give in to it, I'll wake up. You always wake up at the best part of the dream." I said softly. "And even if it's not a dream, I'm scared the rules of dreaming still apply. That once I give in, everything will bottom out."

"Mitchie, nothing is going to bottom out. But if you keep half living, it will. Answer me this. Do you love Shane?"

"Absolutely." I replied instantly.

"Good, your heart says that. Now, think about it and let me know in a few days what your mind says." She stood up from her bed and made her way to mine. She hugged me without another word and left me to my thoughts. Did I really doubt my own feelings?

For the first time in our relationship, Shane wasn't talking to me. Three days after our fight, I tried to apologize and he still didn't respond. I knew we were both at fault, but he didn't even send me his normal fight-texts. It hurt. It also just made me angrier.

Of course, someone in my town just so happened to be at the park when Shane and I started arguing and reported it the local tabloid. I got phone calls from Rich, Stacey, and Bradley. Each was a varying degree of anger and sympathy. Rich was the most sympathetic, where as Stacey was the most angry. Bradley was more concerned that everything get fixed. Stacey yelled at me for having such a public argument. Whatever. I didn't like her much, but I rarely ever had to deal with her.

By the end of the school week, I'd hit my limit. Between Rosie and the tabloids and everything, I was ready to hit something. I stalked into my house. Caitlyn followed me cautiously, knowing I was going to exploded. I stopped in the living room, unaware of the presence in the kitchen.

"You know what, Caitlyn? Yes. Yes I love him although he is the bane of my damn existence." I yelled at her. She tried to tell me to stop because Shane was leaning against the wall behind me, but I ignored her. "Because life has been hell this past week. Because he's too stubborn to answer me when I try to apologize. But, nope, can't help it no matter how hard I try. I love him and that's not going to change."

"That's nice." He commented from behind me. I whirled around. "Maybe I wasn't ready to talk to you yet, Mitchie. Ever think of that? How often do you stay mad at me way after the fact? Now you know how it feels." He paused. "Let me know when you're ready to be mature." He turned around and headed back toward the kitchen. I heard the back door close a moment later.

I screamed in frustration. "How am _I_ not being mature? He just walked away, _again_." I yelled toward Caitlyn, before following him out the back door. "Shane!" I yelled, knowing he was in the backyard somewhere.

"What?" He snapped from where he was leaning against the house. His fists were clenched and he looked pretty mad.

"I hate you, you know that?" I said standing in front of him with my arms crossed. "Until you, I understood my life."

"Yeah, well, that feeling is mutual, Mitchie." He snarled back.

"Bull. You were a lost little pop star when we met." I threw back at him.

He laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, and you were lying to the entire camp about who you were. I'd say we were both pretty lost."

I felt the tears stinging my eyes as he mentioned that, but I wouldn't let them fall. "So? If you never came along, Tess would have never felt the need to destroy me."

"And? If you never came along I wouldn't be here right now having my heart pureed."

I chuckled despite the situation. "You've been spending too much time with my mother." I shook my head, get back on topic. "And we're in this argument because of you, so don't blame me."

"Because of me?" He asked incredulously. He tried to leave again, but I pushed his chest, causing him to fall back against the house again.

"Yeah. Because of you. Because you left in the middle of an argument. Twice already."

"No, that's why we're _still_ having this argument. We're in this argument because of you." He shot back.

"Because of me? How? I wasn't the one who kept my girlfriend in the dark!" I cried. He shook his head, not willing himself to look at me.

"Last time I checked I was only holding the ring. I didn't know we weren't actually engaged." He said softly.

"Shane…" I sighed. "Either way-"

"No, not either way, Mitchie. Because you keep throwing this in my face. You have a million and twelve reasons why we _shouldn't_ get married. And I'm sick of it. I love you, so _fucking_ much, but that's not enough for you. You have to nit pick every argument we have and turn it into another excuse. Just… tell me, right here, right now. Do you want to marry me or not?"

"God, Shane. Of course I do." I yelled at him. "More than anything. It… it terrifies me how much I do. Every excuse or reason I have is because I want to make sure that when we do get married, the things that keep tearing us apart now, won't do that to us then. Shane, I _need_ to know what's going on. You need to stop treating me like I'm going to break. Honestly, what seems worse to you right now? Me having a minor freak out because you broke a promise that wasn't your fault or us arguing because _you_ didn't tell me and the damn TV did?" He didn't answer me right away. "Shane, I don't want to fight with you.

"That's why I don't tell you." He said quietly. "I don't _want_ to fight. But somehow that keeps backfiring. I didn't know they were releasing the tour dates yet. I was planning on telling you before that. Stacey released them before Rich told us about it."

"Oh." I said quietly.

"I was planning on telling you, but until then I hadn't had a definite answer. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it. But you just blew up at me."

"That gets old, real fast Shane. You should have warned me that they weren't cooperating with pushing back the dates. If I knew you were trying, and it just wasn't working…. I can't hold that against you."

He tentatively reached out to grab my hand. "I promise to try to keep that in mind and not make promises I can't guarantee keeping."

"Shane, you've broken quite a few lately. Don't make me another promise you can't keep." I said softly.

He took a step closer to me. "Mitchie. I will willingly walk away from all of this if you want me to. Nate and Jason will kill me, but if it makes you happy, that's all I care about. I want to be with you and that's all that matters to me."

My eyes had snapped up to his. He looked completely serious in that moment. "No, Shane, I could never ask you to do that." I said shaking my head slightly. "I just need you to be here for me. And to let me know what's going on. I could never be that selfish to ask you to give up something you love."

He took one last step closer to me, so we were now almost touching. He ran his fingers across my cheek. "I love you more." He whispered. "I don't want my career coming between us."

"Shane." I said softly. "It's always going to come between us if we don't talk about it. We knew what we were getting into to begin with." I reminded him.

"I know. I'm sorry." He replied. "Fight over?"

I nodded. "Fight over. But I'm serious, Shane. One more time and I'm done. I don't care how much I love you. I can't live like that."

"I know." He whispered, kissing my forehead.

I sighed as I leaned against him. He held me tightly to him. I felt a little more confident in our relationship, but I was serious about my threat. Once more and really was done. I just prayed it wouldn't come to that.

Normally, I love thunderstorms at strong and awesome, but not when I was trying to write.


	12. Chapter 12

So, I decided to give you a semi-short chapter devoted completely to Prom. I know some of you had complained during ATCR that sometimes events get blurred together into one chapter. So, I opted to give you a chapter completely about Prom. Next chap should be Graduation. I believe. Haven't written it yet, so I don't actually know. And for anyone who cares, majority of this chapter is based off of my own Prom this past year as well as how I wish Prom would have gone. The theme _was_ Hollywood and the song _was_ All My Life. I originally didn't want to put it on their CD's because it's a past 'our song' of mine and it was a bit of sore subject for me and said ex at Prom, who was a complete dult and didn't realize what the song was. Stupid boys. Grr. I want a Shane. Or a Jason. Maybe a Nate. Okay, ramble over. Enjoy the short random chapter.

* * *

Chapter 12: Prom!

You'd be surprised what an ultimatum can do. Suddenly Shane told me _everything _that was going on with the tour. They'd be going to Europe for 6 months, due to the possibility of traveling into Asia as well. They were going to be home for 3 weeks during Christmas and New Years, which was another reason. They wouldn't be home for Valentine's Day, however, due to a special 'love song free for all' as Nate referred to it, in London. A special show showcasing their love songs. They promised to try to webcam the show to us. They would be home after that, though, unless by some miracle they managed to not leave until September. Shane said he was still fighting with them, but the venues wouldn't budge unless they had a better reason then 'I want Mitchie.'

But, that was the least of my worries at the time. I was freaking out about Prom. The guys had assured us they got their tuxes and Mom made sure they matched our dresses and everything, but it was still nerve wracking. The guys seemed just as nervous, having never been to Prom either. Jason kept laughing at them. Anastasia kept telling us we were overrating Prom. She went to her Junior Prom and, apparently, it sucked. Since Jason wasn't there anyway, and at the time neither was she, Anastasia forwent her own Senior Prom.

My high school was one of the few in the area to not hold Junior Proms. Aside from the fact that we would have missed it anyway. Ironically, or maybe because Sierra was on the committee and my peers are buttheads, the theme was Hollywood. Shane and Nate found this hilarious, and Caitlyn and I found this disheartening. But we were going to make the best out of Prom.

The day of Prom, we were allowed to leave at 12:00 instead of the normal half-day time of 12:30. Apparently, a single half hour makes a _world_ of a difference. Insert eye roll. Anyway, Mom picked us up from school and drove us to get our nails and hair done. Not something we would normally do, but Mom couldn't do both of us and the guys were paying for it. They tried paying for our dresses but we eventually managed to get them to stop.

Caitlyn's hair was pulled back in twists and then placed in one of those big curly buns. I however, went for a bit of a new look. I had my bangs cut so they now were side swept. Then my hair was pulled up into a tight twist… thing.

When we came down the stairs, hours later with Sierra in tow, we stopped short. All three guys -Shane, Nate, and Craig, were wearing top hats. I smiled at Shane and Nate for including Craig. They were amazing. Jason and Anastasia stood with my parents, as well as Caitlyn's, Sierra's, and Craig's. Craig younger sister was there as well and kept staring at the guys, to which Jason kept looking nervously back at her.

"Wow." Nate and Shane said together.

"For song writers, you boys sure have a limited vocabulary." Anastasia teased. "Do you _know_ any other words to describe your girlfriends?"

Shane never took his eyes off of me. "Amazing-"

Nate cut him off. "Beautiful-"

"Captivating-"

"Dazzling-"

"Enchanting-"

"Okay!" She interrupted them. "I think we all know our ABC's."

"You look amazing, too, Sierra." Nate comment, as she stood nervously next to a slack jawed Craig, who had yet to speak.

"Y-yeah. Wow." He finally spoke.

We laughed. "Okay, pictures!" Mom cried, shoving us into pictures. After all of the 'prom' pictures were taken, Mom made sure to take a picture of the six of us. Jason borrowed Craig's top hat, and the guys posed. Then with a shawl over her shoulders, Anastasia did the same with Caitlyn and I. Then the six of us took one big goofing off picture.

"I'm giving these to Stacey." Mom commented, mentioning the boys' press manager. "Someone will definitely want these. You all look so cute."

"Wow, Mom, way to ruin the night." I said teasingly.

"Actually, Momma T-" Nate said. "Comso will get them. They were the only ones to get the pictures from Mitchie's birthday."

"Oh that reminds me!" I smacked my forehead lightly. "I'm missing something."

"What?" Shane and Caitlyn asked. I didn't answer them. I patted Shane's chest, watch his eyes brighten. Everyone else looked at me oddly. I felt the small object I was looking for and fished out the chain from under his shirt. He laughed and took it off, slipping the ring into my hands.

"My engagement ring. That's what." I heard some of the parent's jaws drop.

"You sure?" Shane asked.

"Positive. I should have had it on during the pictures." I said.

He kissed me softly. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Okay, you guys are going to be late for the Promenade!" Mom said shooing us out of the house. As we all piled into the limo, we set off to the Promenade. Our high school always did a 'red carpet' type of thing up at the high school prior to the actual Prom. Everyone went up to see the Prom goers all dressed up. It was fun.

"You are so wearing these at our wedding." I said running my fingers across the brim of Shane's hat.

"Jason'll be happy." Nate commented.

"Wedding?" Shane quirked an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't thinking about it yet?"

I smiled at him. "What's the point of being engaged if I can't think about my wedding?" He smiled brightly and kissed me.

"Ah. We're here." Caitlyn cried excitedly. They guys piled out first, causing a stir of emotion. As each one of us girl climbed out, our date's hand helped us. We knew there was paparazzi lurking about as well, but we'd requested to all of the major magazines that they be discrete. This was a Prom and there were other kids there as well.

After walking through and having most of our teachers stop us and take pictures as well as other people's parents, we finally made our way back into the limo.

Prom itself was incredible. While we stood in line for our prom pictures, we talked to Craig's friends, who were either dateless or their girlfriend had no idea who our boyfriends were. It was nice. We were sitting at a table with them as well. Shane and I took a nice picture with my left hand laying against his chest. If you looked close enough, you could see my ring sparkling.

We spent the night dancing and laughing. When the girls and I came back from the bathroom, however, Rosie had Shane cornered while one of her friends was trapping Nate. We watched bemused listening to the conversations. Shane was rolling his eyes, and kept pushing her hands off of him. Nate kept jumping away from the girl and eventually hit a wall.

"You can do _so_ much better than _Mitchie_." She sneered. "You could have me."

"Please. She's like a thousand times better than you." Shane laughed.

Meanwhile, Nate was begging the girl to leave him alone. "Please? Please? I'll give you an autograph if you leave me alone? Shane!" He cried out at one point.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, Rosie, mind backing off of my fiancé?" I asked smirking.

"Ha. Yeah, right. Like he'd propose to you." I held up my sparkling finger for her to see. "No _way_." She gasped taking a closer look at my hand. Her friend abandoned Nate to look at my ring as well. Shane was standing behind them smiling brightly as I smiled back. I shrugged and mouthed 'It was time.'

"'Scuse me, ladies." he pushed Rosie and her friend aside, and pulled me out on to the dance floor.

The DJ for the night came on a little while later, announcing the Prom King and Queen. Rosie and her boyfriend won, of course. The DJ made a joke about all the votes for Shane and Nate at the bottom of the sheets weren't counted. They blushed ever so slightly as most of the girls in the room whined.

The one of the final songs made us all laugh. "Well, this might be a bit awkward." The DJ teased. "Here's a request by a friend for two of the couples out there."

Our mouths dropped as we turned to Sierra. "Sierra!" I gasped. "You did this!"

She smiled. "Maybe. And the fact that I love this song…" I smiled as I heard Nate and Shane's voices singing _When You Look Me In The Eyes. _"I _had_ wanted to make our Prom song…" She teased.

Caitlyn and Nate got lost in their own world, and pretty soon, Shane and I were as well. Shane sang to me softly, and I was pretty sure Nate was as well. All the couples around us were smiling and singing along as well.

"I love you." Shane whispered against my lips as the song ended. I kissed him and smiled into.

"I love you, too."

"And now… your official Class of 2010 Prom Song. We're going old school." The DJ announced as Kci and Jojo's All My Life started playing.

Once again everyone was singing along at the top of their lungs, even Shane, Nate, Caitlyn and I. It was a beautiful song and definitely fit us.

As the song began to fade, we were all singing loudly. "And all my life, I prayed for someone like you, and I, thank god that I… That I finally found you…"

We laughed as the song came to an end. "I can't believe neither of us put that on our CDs." I laughed.

"Yeah, well. _I_ was leaning away from the clichés." He replied.

"Of course." I teased. "I just forgot about it."

"Alright, time to go, people." One of our advisors said taking the mic from the DJ. "Be safe, and remember, if you are going to drink that it _is_ against the law and to please not drive."

As we filled out and to the limo, Shane draped his arm over my shoulders. I shivered slightly as the temperature dropped. We climbed into the limo and spent most of the ride in a comfortable silence, with all of us laying or leaning against our dates.

After we dropped Sierra and Craig off at Sierra's, Shane leaned in conspiringly.

"Well… do you want to get unprom-ed or just head down the shore now?" He asked Caitlyn and I.

"What?" We asked, sharing confused looks.

"What? Prom weekend." Nate answered, trying to smile innocently. "Come on. We had to do this right."

We laughed. "We don't have clothes or anything, so we have to stop at the house first." Caitlyn reasoned.

"Ha. No you don't. The only reason you need to stop at the house is if you want to get out of your dresses." Nate explained.

"I have no objection to helping." Shane teased.

"Screw it." I decided. "Let's just go. Mom and Dad know, right?"

Shane gasped. "Of course!" I smiled at him.

Best thing about living in New Jersey? There were so many shore towns to choose from to spend Prom Weekend at. Hours later when we finally pulled up to a small beach house, slightly secluded, we realized the lights were on.

"Who's here?" I asked as we climbed out. The boys smirked at us and Anastasia and Jason came running out of the house.

"Sup?" Anastasia said casually before hugging us to death. "So, this is going to be _awesome_!"

"Can we _please_ get out of these dresses? It's like 2 am and I want out of the poof." I complained. Shane grinned and led me into the house. As we climbed the stairs, he led us into what I'm assuming was our room for the weekend. There was only one room up here and the bathroom.

"How did we rate the top room?" I asked curiously as he shut the door behind us.

"Rock, paper, scissors with Nate and Stas." He said completely serious. "You're _fiancé_ happens to kick ass at it."

I smiled at him. "Unzip me, fiancé." I requested. He did so with slow shaky fingers. "Just think, next time you help me out of my dress you'll be getting laid after." I teased.

He smirked against my skin as he pressed his lips into the back of my shoulder. "Tease." He mumbled. I held the front of my dress while he finished. "You aren't wearing a bra, are you?" He asked, voice suddenly strained.

I smiled. "Sorry. Turn around. Better yet, give me a shirt or bra or something."

He tossed me my bra, though I don't know from where. I heard him groan as my dress dropped.

"Shirt?" He threw me his t-shirt I always slept in. "Kay, let's go." I started for the door.

"Pants?" He asked holding a pair of my pajama pants.

I shrugged. "If you really want me to…" I said pulling them on.

"Evil. Pure evil." He said as we headed down stairs.

I merely giggled in reply.

* * *

Now Bree is wishing she'd went with Shane or Jason to Prom and that her Prom song could have been Jonas Brothers.


	13. Chapter 13

Woo! Another chapter done. Don't get used to two updates in one day again, though. It's a freak accident, I swear! Okay, so no one freak out. I mean it! Aaand. Once again, we are inspired by my own experience. I did not make up graduation. That really happened. Except, we also had our Salutatorian basically come out to our entire graduation class during his speech. Yes I had an interesting graduation. That was awkward. : )

* * *

Chapter 13:

Prom weekend was _amazing_. We spent so much time at the beach and on the boardwalk. Nate and Caitlyn spent a lot of time alone, though, which was good for them. As much as it sucked to be spending less time with them, I knew we all needed it. We needed to be independent of each other occasionally. And that independence _may_ have been a bad thing, too.

See, Prom weekend wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. Prom had been Thursday Night followed by Friday off. By very late Saturday Night - one in the morning- Shane and I were both severely frustrated. For whatever reason, our hormones were spiraling out of control. We were barely hanging on to our self control. Finally, that control snapped. Not the way you're thinking, I assure you.

"Let's get married." I said 15 minutes after a pretty hot and heavy make-out. I was immensely turned on and frustrated.

"We are getting married. I proposed to you already, remember?" Shane teased.

I shook my head, not really thinking clearly. "No, I mean, right now. We're ten minutes from Atlantic City. There _has_ to be a chapel there."

He gave me a weary look. "Mitchie, don't play like that." He said sitting up.

"I'm not." I said instantly. I climbed up onto his lap so I was straddling him. "I'm serious." I looked him dead in the eyes to show how serious -though neurotic- I was.

"You really want to go get married? Right now?" He asked trying to breath straight.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. Shane, I'm sick of running from the future. I just… I want to embrace it. I had this theory of 'get through prom and then think about the wedding'. Guess what? Prom's over and I want to get married." Granted, I was pulling most of this out of nowhere, but it was convincing him, sadly.

"If you really want to get married _right now_ go get Stas and Jason. We need witnesses." I think he was hoping that Jason or Anastasia, more likely Anastasia, would talk me out of it.

I threw on my abandoned shirt and ran down stairs. "Stas! Jason!" I yelled as I ran.

"What?" They came running out of their room half dressed. "What's wrong?"

"Get dressed." I said simply.

"Why?" Anastasia demanded, not looking very happy that she was being interrupted.

"Because Shane and I are going to AC to get married, and you have to come." I ran back up stairs where Shane was still laying in bed. I'd left a confused Anastasia and Jason behind me. "Get up. I'm serious. Let's go." I chided him as I began pulling on a denim skirt and a white tank top. "Is this wedding-y enough?" She teased.

"Y-yeah." He stuttered. He pulled on a black dress shirt to appease me.

"Ooh. Top hat." I threw the object at him. I was really excited and not thinking clearly at all.

"Mitch, baby, are you sure about this?" Shane asked looking down at me.

I thought he was thinking I was going to change my mind, so I attempted to reassure him. "Absolutely. And no one is going to change my mind. I love you and I am sick of waiting."

He smiled tightly, though I couldn't really tell at that point. Ironically, one would think I was drunk or high on something at the moment, but I wasn't. I was completely sober and drug-free. I had this incredible rush of excitement running through me from the thought of marrying Shane.

When we descended the stairs, Anastasia and Jason were waiting for us. "Oh god, you were serious." Anastasia said straight faced and a little worried. "We should call Caitlyn and Nate."

"No! Let them be. They deserve the alone time and they'll only try to change my mind." I saw Anastasia make a face.

"Ooh, do I get to wear a top hat, too?" Jason asked. I nodded. He ran into Nate's room and grabbed the top hat. "Score!"

"Come on, come on!" I urged them. We piled into Anastasia car, since Nate had Shane's.

"Mitch, are you sure about this?" She asked me. I nodded enthusiastically. "Are you sure? Mitchie, you can't undo this-"

"Stas, stop. Please." I demanded softly from the back seat. Shane and her had been exchanging odd looks mot of the ride, but I didn't pay them too much attention.

Shane looked less than thrilled when we got to the little chapel. I was immensely excited, though. Anastasia made a few more attempts to change my mind, but I kept ignoring her. Finally, she left and Jason came in.

"Hey." He said softly. I was waiting a little room while they finished up the ceremonies ahead of ours. We were the only ones _not_ drunk at the moment. I think.

"Hey." I said back equally soft, but smiling. "Jase, don't try to change my mind."

"I'm not." He assured me. "You two can get married when ever you want. I mean, you can always have a real wedding later on. With your parents and Caitlyn and Nate and Sierra and everybody."

Suddenly, doubt was entering my mind. "Yeah."

"I mean, the vow doesn't say how he has to get married, just that he does." I nodded. "Besides, one of us should be able to have fun. Nate already did. Shane should, too." Now I had guilt. They were all going through the same thing. Was I really only getting married so I could stop having to stop?

A knock came to the door. "Your up in 10." The nasally receptionist said through it. I answered back a shaky thank you and started pacing.

"Jason…" I said shakily. "I think I'm making a mistake."

He seemed genuinely surprised. "Really? Why? I thought you loved Shane?"

"I do. I do." I said quickly. "But you're right. I'm being selfish. Oh my god, this is going to kill Shane if I don't go through with this, though. He's going to think I don't want to marry him."

"Why don't I go get Shane, and you and him can talk this out?" Jason suggested. Before I could reply and tell him no, he was already out of the room.

A moment later, Shane came in hesitantly. "Mitch?"

"Shane, I'm sorry." I cried.

He laughed, wrapping his arms around me. "Mitchie, it's fine. I was hoping you'd change your mind."

I stiffened. "You were?"

"Shh. Calm down. I knew you'd end up regretting this and that we'd be getting married for the wrong reasons. How about when we get home, we start seriously planning the wedding? If you still want to get married in the very near future, we will. But not spur of the moment like this."

"I'm sorry." I whimpered, burying my face in his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get back to the house." He pulled back, taking my hand and leading me out of the little room.

"So?" Anastasia asked cautiously.

I shook my head no. "Sorry to disappoint." I said teasingly.

She let out a huge sigh of relief. "You rock, hun." She kissed Jason's cheek. "I did _not_ think you could convince her."

Jason shrugged. "I didn't convince her." He said smiling ever so slightly. "I was agreeing with her."

"Who knew Jason knew reverse psychology?" I asked laughing as we left the little chapel.

"What did I know?" He asked. We laughed at his expense and filed back into the car.

"Not to be the Nate of the night, but hopefully there were no cameras lurking." Anastasia said as she pulled out of her parking spot.

"Nah, we could sue the chapel then. I signed a privacy contract. I was hoping Mitchie would change her mind and forewarned the receptionist." Shane explained.

"But paparazzi isn't the chapel." Anastasia reasoned.

"They assured me that no one ever lurks there because most celebrities get married out in Vegas, not Jersey."

"Oh my god, I didn't even think about paparazzi." I groaned leaning against Shane.

"Shh. It's okay." He assured me. I could only hope he was right.

When we got back the house, Caitlyn and Nate were pacing in the living room looking worried. "Where were you?" Caitlyn demanded when we came in.

"Out." I said simply, giving the others looks.

"At 2:30 in the morning?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Where were you all night?" I threw back.

"On a date."

"Well, we were bored and went to AC." I replied. I couldn't believe I was lying to Caitlyn, but I knew Nate would freak out.

"Why would you go to AC? None of us can gamble…" Nate stated.

"Caitlyn, I need to talk to you." I pulled her into the kitchen.

Quietly, I told her the truth. "Shane and I went to get married because I'm an idiot and I'm so sorry."

"What?" She cried. "You were gonna get married with out me?" She asked quietly.

"At first. But that guilt was one of the reason we didn't. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "I forgive you." She replied hugging me. "Don't tell Nate." She instructed.

"Got it." I agreed.

We headed back out into the living room. "I'm exhausted." I said dragging Shane up the stairs behind me.

"Remember you still can't have sex!" Anastasia called up to us, laughing.

"I'm sorry." I said as I leaned against the door. Shane was sitting on our bed, looking exhausted. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine. I should have fought you harder in the first place. But, just… hearing you say you wanted to get married… I was so happy, I couldn't bring myself to tell you no. I was hoping Stas would convince you once we got there, that didn't happen though. I didn't believe Jason when he said he would talk to you." He admitted.

I stood in front of him, looking down at him as he looked up at me. His hands were resting on the back of my thighs while my hands were in his hair.

"You think 'I'm getting married in August' would be a good enough excuse to push back the dates?" I asked.

He smiled. "Maybe. You serious?" He asked indifferently.

I nodded. "Yeah. That would give me a few weeks to plan. I'm serious Shane, I think tonight I realized… I don't want to wait much longer. Caitlyn was right, I need to stop half-living my life. I need to… just let go and take the chance that this is all going to blow up in our faces."

"It won't." He promised me. "I won't let it."

"I know." I said softly, smiling at him.

"You sure you gonna be able to plan a wedding that fast?"

I shrugged. "Why not? What's there to it? A church, a hall, a caterer, invitations."

"And flowers, and dresses, and wedding parties, and seating arrangements." He added.

I sat down on his lap. "Easy." I dismissed it. "Dress? That's not hard. I found this beautiful dress when we were Prom dress shopping a few weeks ago. It was so pretty. It wasn't white, but like an off-white. Like it was supposed to look aged. And the lace was gorgeous. I couldn't really look at it too closely, though, cause I was trying to find a prom dress."

"Which was beautiful by the way."

I giggled. "Thank you. Anyway, the girls don't have to have making dresses if they don't want them. And what do you mean wedding parties? That's a given. Caitlyn, Anastasia, Nicky and Sierra. And Nate, Jason, Kevin, and… I don't know, you can pick a fourth guy."

"Oh really, wise one. Enlighten me." He paused. "Who is going to be your maid of honor?"

"Duh- Crap." I said slumping against him. "You stole my fun. How can I choose between Sierra and Cait?"

He shrugged. "Don't know, babe."

"How are you going to pick between Nate and Jason?" I asked.

He smiled. "Kevin." My eyes brightened. "No. You can't use my sister." I frowned again. "Don't worry about that part right now. Just… I don't know."

"I love you." I said softly, burying my face in his shoulder.

He kissed the top of my head. "Love you, too."

The next three weeks were once again a blur. Time seems to move faster the older you get. I didn't have to take any finals this year, and I was getting excited for graduation. Shane and I were going to be announcing our tentative wedding plans to everyone at my graduation party. I still hadn't decided between Caitlyn and Sierra, though. It was too hard.

"Can you believe we're graduating tonight?" Caitlyn asked plopping onto the bed next to me.

"Nope. God, Cait, it's over. High School's over. After tonight, it'll all be over."

"What do you mean? We still have college, and you have a wedding to think about in the next couple of years, and then of course, if we're lucky, mine and Nate's and Jason and Stas'. And just think, after that… then we have our lives as adults to look forward, too."

I hadn't actually told Caitlyn about my August wedding yet. Actually, only Mom and Mrs. Grey knew. "You're right, Cait." I smiled, hugging her.

"Come on, let's get ready." She said pushing me off the bed.

Three hours later, we were lined up in a parking lot a block away from the football field in my town. We were marching down to the field and then would take our seats. Anastasia and the guys were up in the stands while Mom, Dad, and Mrs. & Mr. Gellar were in the bleachers on the field, specially placed for the parents. One thing I loved about my school was that we graduated on our football field. It was just… tradition.

Okay, so I loved tradition until it started _pouring_ on us. But we were all too stubborn to move graduation inside. So, we ended up waiting until the storm passed and then lined back up, soaking wet and cold. We all must have looked horrible, but we didn't care.

I waved to Shane and the others as we marched down in front of the stadium seats. I was in one of the last rows since my last name began with a T. We sat through boring speeches being given, except for Sierra's Salutatorian speech. We paid attention to that one. Finally, we were given our diplomas. I cheered as friends of mine went up. "Caitlyn Marie Gellar." Our vice principal announced. I screamed extra loud for her.

I stood nervously in line, waiting. I saw Caitlyn in her seat giving me a thumbs up. I smiled back. I was next. "Michaela Theresa Torres." I stepped up on stage and received my diploma.

I sat back down and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I had just graduated. In the sky, we saw a rainbow shining brightly, despite the darkening sky as the sun set. It was like a omen. No matter how bad things get, if you hold out, it'll be even better.

We definitely had a graduation to remember.

* * *

I really have to scan the pictures of the rainbow from that night. The only difference from my graduation and hers? We had to walk 4 blocks up to the high school during the storm -in heels while it thundered and lightninged- and then wake a grand total of 6 blocks back to the field and down a semi-steep hill -again wet pavement and heels-.


	14. Chapter 14

I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. I was really nervous about it. I was afraid you'd all be like 'OMJ! Mitchie would so not do that. Like wtf?' But I shall explain to you why I did it: a. because I thought it'd be fun; b. to show Shane's not just getting married to have sex; c. so randomly planning the wedding for the end of summer wasn't… random?, and lastly because I wanted Mitchie to show how caught up she can be and how serious she is about marrying Shane and not letting anyone change her mind. So, now that we've got that settled… And my graduation wasn't as horrible as I make it sound. It's actually pretty funny to us. So, some of you were wondering what I'm gonna do between Cait & Sierra. I've had that problem and all possible solutions planned from the beginning, including the one I'm using. And someone made a suggestion about how to fix it. I had that idea, but for a different reason. They will know who they are and what I'm talking about when the time comes.

* * *

Chapter 14:

I was nervous the entire week after graduation. We graduated on Wednesday night, and mine & Caitlyn's graduation party was Saturday afternoon in my backyard. Shane kept telling me everything was going to be fine. I didn't believe him.

We'd been partying for a while already when Sierra ran up to me. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother. "Mitchie!" She yelled jumping up and down. "Guess what?"

"What?" I asked jumping with her.

"I'm going to China!" She yelled.

"Oh my god! Congrats! You got the internship?" Sierra had applied for an internship with an international business company, working overseas. "When do you leave?"

"Three days." She said still really excited. "But I won't be back until the very end of August. Like 3 days before I have to leave for school."

"You're gonna miss my wedding." I said softly, looking down.

"What?!" She yelled.

"Hold on. Shane and I wanted to tell everyone together." I said, leaving abruptly to find Shane. "Time to tell them." I said nervously, interrupting his conversation with some of my male cousins.

"Oh. You sure?" He asked. I nodded.

"I kinda told Sierra."

"Really? Why?" He asked as we headed over to the where we could get everyone's attention.

"Um, she said she was going to be in China and I said 'you're going to miss my wedding?'" I said back.

"Oh." He said, uncertain. He looked at me once more to make sure I was ready. I nodded. "Hey! Can I have everyone's attention?" Shane called out to everyone. Everyone stopped and our friends and immediate families moved closer to hear whatever we had to say.

"Some of you may already know, but Shane proposed to me on my birthday. And I accepted." Everyone cheered and clapped, well those who didn't know did. "But, that's not what we want to tell you."

"Mitchie has decided she doesn't want to wait very long. So we decided we're getting married in August."

A small silence followed before people began clapping and congratulating us. Sierra came up to me. "I'm so sorry, Mitchie."

"Me, too. But you've been wanting this internship since freshman year. You deserve it. And I can't wait much longer to marry him." I admitted.

"Congratulations." She said hugging me.

Caitlyn and Anastasia stood in front of me with hands on their hips. "Hey, guys." I said, trying to not laugh at the looks on their faces.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Anastasia demanded.

"That's twice I've been the last to know about your random weddings." Caitlyn pouted.

"Cait, you weren't last. Everyone found out at the same time. And because… I wanted to tell everyone together. However, does being my bridesmaids make up for it?"

"Fine. We forgive you." They said playfully rolling their eyes.

"I can't believe you're getting married in August! I so told you, you couldn't hold out much longer." Nicky teased making her way over to us.

"Ha, yes, you're right. I can't want to sleep with my fiancé, hence the very short engagement. It has nothing to do with being in love." I rolled my eyes at her. "I don't know if I want you in my bridal party anymore." I said offhandedly.

"Oh my god! Seriously?" She cried.

I looked at her oddly. "Duh…" She squealed excitedly.

Many congratulations later, Shane wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my neck. "Hello, fiancée." He said into my ear softly.

"Hello to you to, fiancé." I giggled back. "Can you believe we're getting married?" I asked leaning against him.

He shook his head. "Not really. I'm waiting to wake up from my dream."

I sighed contently. "Welcome to my world."

"I talked to Bradley. He convinced the venues to push back the shows because of the wedding." I squealed and turned in his arms.

"Yay!" I said throwing my arms around his next. "How?"

"I told him that you had your heart set on a summer wedding, and that the guys and I would gladly cancel the first few shows to give that to you." I smiled up at him.

"You are amazing. I love you." I hugged him as tight as possible. "So… does this mean our plans for the summer still stand?" I asked softly, not looking at him.

He tilted my chin toward him. "If you want. Unless you want to wait until we get married. Ya know, enjoy your last few weeks with your parents."

"I was actually thinking about that. What's gonna happen to your apartment? I mean, who looks after it while you're on tour?" I asked.

"Well, usually Lava would send someone over once every two weeks to make sure everything was good and clean up and everything. But… I don't know what's gonna happen when we get back. I mean, I doubt you or the guys are gonna want to share an apartment when we get back."

"I don't think so." I shook my head teasingly. "Though I'll still be in school when you get back. That reminds me… again. What are we doing for our honeymoon?" He shrugged. "Great answer." I laughed at him. "Anyway, back to the original subject. I don't see the point in '_moving in with you_' when I'm just going to be moving into my dorm a few weeks later. I mean, clothes are one thing, but I guess we should wait until we have our own apartment or house or whatever before we really _move in together_." I explained.

"Makes sense. _But_ let's not worry about all of the logistics of it right now. Let us think of instead… how happy we are at this exact moment." He twirled me around.

"Immensely." I giggled as he brought me back into his arms.

So, once again, I was a little too naïve for my own good. Planning my wedding in roughly 8 weeks was not as easy as I had hoped. Between the now excessively annoying paparazzi and my Cosmo shadow -I was letting CosmoGIRL do a full expose on planning my wedding- I was getting aggravated. The bright side to the shadow was she had excellent suggestions.

Shane and I had been 'living together' for about two weeks already, with Jacob, at the apartment. It was odd. Jason seemed to practically live at Anastasia apartment with her, well her brother's apartment though he was on another tour. Nate on the other hand was at my house most of the time. I found it odd that I moved out, so to speak, yet Caitlyn and Nate seemed to be living there.

I woke up to find Shane not in bed. I pouted. I liked waking up with him in bed. "Shane!" I called out, sitting up. "Baby, where'd you go?" Jacob came wandering and jumped on the bed, but no sign of Shane.

I heard the front door close and a moment later Shane was entering our bedroom. "Hey." He greeted, handing me one of those fruit smoothie ice things from Dunkin Donuts. I wasn't a big Starbucks person. He however, was sipping his Starbuck's latte, most likely.

"When did you get up?" I asked looking at the clock next to the bed.

"Bout an hour or so ago." He answered, sitting on the bed next to me. "So, what is on the agenda today, oh wedding planner?" He asked.

I slumped against the pillows. "I have to go get my dress resized _again_, fight with Caitlyn, and Stas on colors _again_, try to find a theme that matches _again_, and you and I really need to talk about our song."

"What song?" He asked, clueless.

I giggled at him. "Our wedding song." I answered. "I almost want to use Gotta Find You." I said. "The original version."

He smiled. "Whatever you want. Just no Hanson, please?" He requested.

I smiled. "You realize you'd have to record the song for me, right?"

He shrugged. "I'll call Milo later." He said simply.

I leaned up to kiss him. "You're amazing." I smiled pulling back.

"I know." He said playfully.

"Jerk." I pushed him lightly.

He caught my wrist and pulled me toward him again. "Your jerk." He kissed me lightly. "Now why do you keep fighting with the girls? And before you randomly remember and ask, yes the tuxes were ordered and fitted."

"Because Caitlyn looks best in green-" Shane opened his mouth but I kept speaking, "Nicky looks best in neutral colors, like blacks and tans and grays -ha irony. Anastasia looks best in reds and pinks which highlight the red in her hair." I said in a sarcastic hyper voice.

"Ouch." He said. "Well, I have a suggestion, if you want it."

"No, Shane I'm not picking green just because it's your favorite color."

He smirked at me. "Even if I can convince you?"

I gave him a disbelieving look. "Enlighten me, pop star."

He glared slightly but smiled a moment later. "A light shimmer-y green. It gives Caitlyn green. It's neutral enough for Nick, and Anastasia's eyes will look more green which we all know she loves, though she won't admit it."

"I've been fighting with them for a week and half over that." I sighed. He made it so easy.

"Mitchie, it's _our_ wedding. Don't let them push you into what they want. I know you said you didn't care much about what they wore and you want them to be happy, but not at the expense of your nerves, please?"

"You're right. So, that takes care of color. Now, theme? Flowers?"

"You know, green fits, considering we're getting married in August." He commented. "You could always go with sunflowers."

My eyes lit up. "Which only bloom in August!"

He smiled at me. "Do we really need a theme?" He asked.

"We've got it." I answered him.

He looked at me oddly. "We do?"

"Summer. It's August, so summer. Summer equals sun. Sun equals sunflowers. It's not perfect, but we can work with it." I said, once again becoming excited about my wedding.

He laughed. "Just tell me when you need the song and where I have to stand to say I do." He said softly. "Oh, we need to get rings, baby." He commented.

I groaned. "Tomorrow we'll go look." I said. "Ugh, I have to be at the bridal shop in two hours."

"Go get in the shower. I'm driving you, I'm assuming?" He asked as I headed out of our room.

"Uh huh." I called back.

Well, that turned out to be an amusing experience. I met up with the girls at the store. They were surprised to see Shane there.

"I'm not staying." He assured them. He kissed me good-bye and got back in the car.

"Before any of you say anything, I picked a color. Light green. No arguing. Shane picked it, actually. I like it." I said tiredly.

"That works." Caitlyn and Anastasia agreed. I saw Jayden, my shadow, laughing into her notebook, trying not to. I smiled at her before heading inside.

I ended up buying the dress I had seen a few weeks prior. It was again strapless, though this time it was a sweetheart cut instead of straight. The bodice was long and fitted while the bottom flared out and had a long train behind it. I left the girls to look for dresses once again, instructing Jayden to keep them in line for me. She smiled at me and laughed again.

As I was getting pinned _again_, -apparently the woman who did it the first time accidentally dropped it and dislodged a lot of the pins- the girls came running in.

"Mitchie! We found it! Well, Jay did… but we found it!" Caitlyn held up a pale green dress that looked shiny and shimmer-y. It had the sweetheart cut neck line, but two straps coming from the edges of the breasts that tied behind the neck. There was a top piece of fabric with curved down over the bottom and cut away to the side.

"Wow." I said looking at it in the mirror I was standing in front of with my back to them. "It matches well. I like the color.

"We compromised." Anastasia admitted. "It'll give me some hips."

"And the color will look good with Nicky, too." Caitlyn added. "We're sorry if we've been pains. This is our first wedding, too."

"1 word. Payback." I smiled sweetly.

"Oh, think of the absolute fun it would be if by the time either of you gets married, Mitchie was pregnant." Jayden said.

"I like you." I decided smiling at Jayden. "I can totally see that happening. Well, with the 20 kids Shane seems to think we're going to have."

"Ooooh." The girls all grimaced, thinking of that many births.

"Well, go try them on." I instructed Caitlyn and Anastasia.

Jayden took a picture of the dresses on the two of them with her actual camera, and my cell phone to send to Nicky.

She was coming in next week to stay until the wedding. We were going to put her in my room at the house, but since Nate was there so much, we opted to simply put her in Jason's room. He didn't mind.

I came home much happier than I had left that night. I walked into the living room with Caitlyn and Anastasia to find the boys sitting around. "Remind me to give Cosmo a very, very big thank you for Jayden." I said throwing myself into Shane's lap.

He laughed. "Why?" He asked brushing my hair out of his way.

"Because she _rocks_." I said. The others laughed. "No, seriously, she found the perfect dresses for the girls, in the perfect color. Like practically exactly what I was picturing. And they all loved it. And ooh, ooh. Guess what the color was?"

Shane gave me a sarcastic look. "Um, green?"

"The _official_ name of the color is Peridot. How much more meant to be could that be?"

Shane smiled at me. "Told you it'd work out."

"I know." I kissed him. "So, now I want to get table clothes in a color similar to the color of their dresses and I want sunflowers everywhere. Except for the bouquets. I want the girls to have yellow roses and I'll have white roses."

"I love this. You seem to just get one idea and run with it." Shane said laughing happily. "All it took was one color and everything is falling into place for you, huh?"

I kind of ignored him, though, since I was in my own world thinking. I quickly got off of his lap, running to get a notebook. I called out to him as I started writing things down. "And we should do the reception outside instead of inside. Since it's summer. Oh! And-"

"Mitchie, breath. Relax." Shane said, placing his hands on my shoulders, causing me to stop walking. "I'm glad you're excited and getting into planning, but relax, please?" I blushed, releasing I was going overboard with excitement.

I don't know what it was about getting married, or maybe it was Shane, but I was slowly becoming, _not me_. Not in a bad way- okay, not completely in a bad way. Random impulse to get married? Yeah, that was bad. But this excited energy to plan my wedding was a good thing. I'd never been good at planning things. I took after my dad in that aspect. Mom was good with this sort of thing, though. You should see the things she does at Camp Rock.

"I say, no more wedding talk for the night." Nate said, taking the notebook out of my hands and placing it on the table.

"Nate." I pouted.

"Seriously, Mitchie. Let's just watch a movie and relax." Jason suggested.

I pouted but did as I was told. They were right. I _did_ need to relax. If I started planning everything like crazy I was going to wear myself out. But everything was falling into place for me and I could _not_ wait for my wedding.

* * *

Okay, for those of you currently confused: Peridot is the birthstone of August. Ha, I some how ended up giving the wedding an August theme. Want to know something awesome I just recently found out? My birthday is 6 days before Joe's. How _awesome_ is that? And since he's a Leo, he is totally entitled to be a diva. Lol. Oh, and before I forget, some of you had trouble picturing the dresses from Prom, so this time I found real dresses close to what I wanted. Links are in my profile.


	15. Chapter 15

_Woo! 1000 Reviews already. Score! Special shout out to __**Bogart**__ for being the thousandth reviewer. Obviously, there are so many of you… it's hard to thank each of your individually, but thanks. I can't believe we're at Chapter 46 of my series (if you think about it). I couldn't have gotten this far without you. Okay, so the depressing news. I __won't_ be here for the next few days. I know you've all been really understanding with my lack of updates -ha that's an oxymoron- and all. Believe me, I shall be suffering as well. Car ride for 3 days. I'm actually leaving later today -more like tonight- and I should be packing, not writing at 3:30 in the morning. See how dedicated I am?? I will try to have the wedding for you soon as possible, but there is at least one chapter before that.

* * *

Chapter 15:

Everyone did a fairly good job of keeping me in line and keeping me from becoming a bridezilla. That I was thankful for. I was also thankful my 16 year old sister-in-law moved in. Best way of staying abstinent. Nicky was _always_ in the apartment with us. Riley was on tour, which wasn't too hard for Nicky to deal with, since she was used to them not being together too much anyway.

However, that meant no alone time for Shane and I. Personally, I felt really weird making out with my fiancé with his sister in the next room. It was getting particularly frustrating for Shane. Every time he'd try to deepen the kiss, I'd pull back and lay down to go to sleep. I knew I was killing him, but I didn't realize I'd force him to have wet dreams.

That was an awkward morning, to say the least. Have you ever woken up next to your guy and felt his… _poking_ you? Or waking up next to your girl and find that you're poking her? Sure, we'd dealt with that on a few occasions while making out. But to wake up that way? _Awkward_.

Aside from that lovely morning, things were going better. Though I was getting occasionally carried away, everything was falling into place. Aside from Abuela, my family wasn't exactly religious and Shane's family was. That was one reason the three guys clicked at Camp Rock. They were some of the few there with such strong religious beliefs. The difference between our beliefs actually made some things a lot easier. We were going to get married in Massachusetts, where Shane's family's church was. His extended family had been going there for generations.

There was a high-end banquet hall not too far from that beautiful church, either. It held a beautiful garden area outside as well. It was more than big enough for our wedding, too. Shane had agreed whole heartedly with me about the outdoor reception. Mrs. Grey was helping me with a lot of the planning in terms of locations and local services. Mom was busy at Camp Rock for 6 weeks and was a bit hard to get in touch with.

The boys weren't teaching this year per request of Lava. They wanted the guys to be well rested and relaxed before going on tour. Aside from the fact that they were originally going to be on tour half way through. However, since we were planning on going there for Final Jam week anyway, Nate and Jason would be judging this year. It was also our anniversary, and Shane claimed to have a surprise for me.

But back to the wedding plans. Everything literally just… fell into place in terms of planning. Of course, even the best laid plans backfire. But we will come back to that. The only _planning_ problems we had were once again, the girls disagreeing.

"All of us have curls or close enough. Why don't we just curl our hair?" Nicky complained, draped across the arm chair. Caitlyn and Anastasia were slumped on the couch, while Jayden and I were sitting on the floor.

"Because that's no fun." Anastasia whined. "I think it always looks really nice when the wedding party has their hair all up."

I rolled my eyes at Jayden, who was once again trying not to laugh. I had choose to stay out of this argument at the moment.

"But curls are such a pain to put into an up-do." Caitlyn whined back. "Why don't we just leave our hair down, as is?"

"We should be uniformed." Nicky argued.

Anastasia nodded. "And where's the fun in leaving our hair down?"

Being slightly childish, I raised my head. "Mitchie, what are you doing?" Caitlyn asked.

"The bride has a suggestion." I said lowering my hand. "Why don't you all decided on _one_ hair accessory and then do your hair how you want around the accessory?"

They looked at each other and nodded. "Head band." Anastasia said.

"That's so casual. A flower." Nicky threw out.

I rolled my eyes and fell backwards. Laying on the floor, I looked up at them. "Why not a head band _with_ a flower?"

"A rose or a sunflower, though?" Caitlyn asked.

"Sunflower. The roses are just in your bouquets." I replied before Anastasia or Nicky could answer.

"So, did you talk to the florist, yet?" Caitlyn asked.

I nodded. "Shane order them. Hopefully there won't be too many like on Valentine's Day." I giggled. Caitlyn smiled.

Always the realist, Anastasia commented, "Hopefully there will be enough. It's a pretty big garden as well as the church."

"Did you order the tablecloths, Cait?" I asked my dear maid of honor.

"Yup. Green and yellow, right?" I nodded. I was still laying on the floor thinking of anything else I needed to check at the moment.

"So…" Nicky edged. "What about the bachelorette party?" She smirked.

"No." I said immediately. "Nicky, you're sixteen. No, I'm not having a bachelorette party."

"Oh, like Shane isn't going to have a bachelor's party?" She asked scoffing. "And his _best man_ is sixteen."

"She has a point, Mitchie." Anastasia added.

"Girls night out, but nothing illegal for a sixteen year old." I compromised. "I'm trusting you, Cait. I don't trust Stas." I teased.

The front door opened a minute later and my sweaty husband to be ran into the apartment. "_Darling_," I began, "_Why_ are you all sweaty?"

He sighed. "The paparazzi are like vultures now. I mean, they've always been bad, but seriously. They're like camped outside the building. They keep twisting everything and it's getting on my nerves." He complained. "Who told them we were getting married? I mean, aside from the engagement?" He wondered aloud.

I grumbled. "Stacey."

"Remind me to fire her." He groaned. "Anyway, anything new?" He sat next to me looking at my notebook. "Doodles? Are doodle good?" He asked Jayden. She shrugged.

"We spent 4 hours arguing over hair." I replied. He looked at me with a 'please-tell-me-you're-kidding' face. I shook my head yes, letting him know I was serious. "We compromised. They're all going to wear headbands with a sunflower on them in their hair."

"Riiiight. Oh, Cait, we're straightening Nate's hair." He said, not looking up from the notebook. From my position on the floor, I could see the corner of his mouth twitch, wanting to laugh.

"What? Why? No. He looks _terrible_ with straight hair. Who cares if you and Jason have straight hair? Why don't we just curl yours?" Caitlyn rambled.

He couldn't hold it and started laughing. "I'm kidding, Cait. I was just showing you how silly it is to waste 4 hours on _hair_." He explained.

"Oh." The three bridesmaid looked down, blushing ever so slightly.

"Remember, you have your own weddings, some not for many, many _many_ years," He said pointedly to Nicky, "To look forward to and to have things your way."

"True." They agreed.

"My hero." I sighed reaching up to play with his hair. "Where were you 4 hours ago?" I complained, tugging lightly. He smiled.

"I'm going to take a shower." He leaned down and kissed me before getting up.

"Why does he solve my problems way after I have a headache?" I asked no one in particular, but noticed Jayden scribbling.

"Alright, no more wedding meeting for the rest of the night." I decided. I turned to Jayden, "Off the record, now." I said. She smiled and closed her notebook. She was fun to talk to aside from the wedding stuff. We didn't mind having her around. She said it would help her write a better article getting to see us outside of the wedding stuff.

"Nicky, how's Riley?" Anastasia asked, making conversation.

"Not here." She pouted. "I'm so bored in the city without him."

I smiled at her. "You get used to it." Caitlyn and Anastasia agreed.

"So, whatever happened with that _situation_ we were discussing?" Caitlyn asked.

"What situation?" Anastasia asked.

I smirked up at Nicky. "Nicky wants to have sex with Riley." It was fun to remember we were still a bunch of teenage girls, despite how grown up we were becoming. That was something I loved about being around Nicky, we turned back into the 16 years that found their soul mates at Camp Rock two years ago.

Anastasia gasped. "No way! Aren't your parents like, super religious?"

"Key word, _my parents_." She replied.

"That's two words." Caitlyn replied.

Nicky rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"And it's not just your parents. Both your brothers are, too." I added.

"Kevin? Ha. He's _always_ all over his girlfriends. You want to tell me he's not getting any?"

I shrugged. "Just because he doesn't wear a purity ring like Shane doesn't mean Kevin is screwing all of his girlfriends."

Anastasia laughed. "Only you would know about Kevin's sex life when the two of you barely speak when you're in the same room." She teased.

I smiled. "That's because we only have _meaningful_ conversations when no one else is around." I answered.

"_Back_ to the topic at hand. Tell me what's up with that." Caitlyn said ignoring Anastasia and I and returning her attention to Nicky.

She shrugged. "I… haven't talked to him… about it…"

"Nicky!" I chided. "That was months ago!"

"So? It's not that easy. 'Hey, Ri, so, I was wondering if you want to have sex?' Yeah, no." She replied.

"Why, Mitchie told Shane she wanted to have sex with him." Anastasia blurted.

"Stas!" I cried out. "I told you that in confidence!"

"I told you!" Nicky cheered.

Caitlyn came to my rescue. "Whatever, it was after the whole 'throwing the promise ring at him.' thing. She told him she would wait for 30 years to be with him."

"You threw your ring at him?" Jayden asked, curiously.

I blushed. "We got into a _huge_ fight and he asked how he knew I wouldn't realize it was all too much to handle and I wouldn't move on, or something. I got mad, threw my ring at him and told him that was how."

"Could I added that into the article? Everyone sees you as the perfect couple, but the tabloids are also always trying to tear you apart because you seem so perfect. I think if I added that you two have fought and yet you're still so strong it would really add to the article." She asked.

"Is it just me, or does everything 'add to the article?'" Caitlyn teased. Jayden blushed. "I'm kidding. I think you're going to be an amazing journalist someday." She complimented.

"Thank you." Jayden was still blushing.

"_Anyway_, Mitchie totally wants to sleep with Shane." I rolled my eyes at Nicky.

"We've been through this, Nick!" I groaned. "Yes, I want to. But Shane made a vow. I'm willing to wait forever if I have to."

"And you are totally avoiding the Riley issue." Anastasia said.

"What Riley issue?" Shane asked leaving the bathroom, towel drying his curls. Thankfully, he was clothed.

"Um… Riley doesn't know if he can make in for the wedding, and Nicky won't tell us whether or not it's bothering her." I lied easily. Well, the words came easily, but I knew Shane could tell I was lying. He eyes me with a 'you-will-tell-me-later' look. "Anyway, I say it's about time for me to kick my lovely friends out and for my lovely fiancé to take his sister and myself out to dinner." I smiled up at him. Yes, I was _still_ laying on the floor.

"Fine. Where's Jason and Nate, anyway?" Caitlyn asked curiously.

"The house." Shane replied, heading back into the bathroom to straighten his hair.

"Why are they at the house?" I asked. It was odd, as if I had switched homes with the guys.

Shane yelled back, "We were watching the game with Dad, but I was getting bored. So, I headed home. Jase said he'd catch a cab or have Stas get him or something."

"Alright, well, I guess since I'm driving Cait home anyway…" Anastasia sighed dramatically.

The three girls left, laughing loudly about something or another.

"Thanks." Nicky said quietly when we were alone.

"No problem." I answered. "Can you believe a year ago you hated me?"

She laughed. "I was young and stupid." She replied.

"Ready?" Shane asked coming out of the bathroom with perfectly straight hair.

"Yeah. Oh, all those reporters are out there." I sighed, sitting up and pouting.

"Oh well. Let's go, superstars." Nicky said, pulling me up. Shane smiled and wrapped his arms around me as Nicky headed to the door. "Now." She said impatiently. We broke apart and walked to the door.

It was a bit of a fight to get out of their way, but one question stopped us dead in our tracks. "Mitchie, are you pregnant?!" The reporter yelled out.

I froze and turned to the reporter. "Excuse me?" I asked incredulously.

"What's the rush on the wedding?" They asked as the rest of the reporters now stopped asking questions themselves, waiting for my answer.

"Is it so wrong to be in love?" I asked them.

One rude reporter asked back, "You're barely 18, what do you know about love?"

I smirked. "Juliet wasn't even 14 when she married Romeo. And yet she is credited with the greatest love story ever written. Don't you think at 18 I have a better idea?" I turned around and saw Shane smirking at the reporters as we left them stunned behind us. They began shouting questions again as we climbed into Shane's car, oddly parked on the street.

"That was awesome. I didn't know Juliet was only 14. Was she really?" Nicky asked from the backseat.

"Yes, she was. Don't you read?" I looked back at her. She shrugged. "Don't you like theatre?" Again, she shrugged. "I give up."

Shane laughed. "You realize they're going to twist that someway, right?"

I shrugged. "Oh well."

While we were at dinner, Nicky received a text from Riley's sister, saying she was in town and wanted to steal Nicky for the night.

"Can I go? I haven't seen Tara in months." She asked us. We smiled. It was weird to be her 'legal guardians' at the moment.

"Of course." Shane said immediately, already thinking about being alone for the night. "Are you spending the night?"

"Probably." She shrugged.

Shane seemed to be grinning. "Cool. We'll stop back at the apartment and then I'll drop you off at her hotel." He offered. I gave him a questioning look. He looked like a little kid on Christmas Eve, eagerly awaiting the next morning.

Being tired, I crawled into bed and waited for Shane to come home from dropping off Nicky. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I heard Shane sigh dejectedly and crawl into bed next to me. He half heartedly kissed my neck, whispering 'I love you.'

I was up before him the next morning, and he came into the living room looking upset. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." He snapped slightly.

"Shane…" I sighed as he headed into the kitchen.

"What is your problem?" He asked, looking at me over the island separating the kitchen and living room.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking completely confused.

He sighed, bracing himself on the counter. "With Nicky here you won't let me kiss you and when she's _not_ here for the night, you fell asleep while I was gone. And then you left the bed this morning, when again, _she's not here_!" He half yelled, getting frustrated.

"Forgive me for not wanting to make out with you with your sister listening to us in the next room." I replied heatedly.

"She would not be listening to us." He rolled his eyes.

I scoffed. "I _would not_ put it past Nicky." I replied.

"So, last night?" He questioned.

"I was tired. I'm trying to plan a wedding and it's a bit draining." I narrowed my eyes at him as he made his way into the living room, where I was working on the floor again.

"If you're so tired, why weren't you still in bed?"

"Why are we fighting about this?" I demanded.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He demanded in reply.

I looked up at him as if he were crazy. "I am _not_ avoiding you."

He sat next to me, most of his anger slipping away as he became slightly depressed. "Feels like it."

"Oh, Shane." I sighed, running my hand through his hair. "I'm not, baby." I promised, kissing him lightly.

Hungrily, he returned my kiss with much more force. He held me to him, not allowing me to pull away. I lost myself in the kiss.

He pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him as the kiss grew. He laid me down on our living room floor, his groin pressing into my own.

I moaned. "Shane." I whimpered against his lips. He groaned back in reply. "Stop." I moaned. "This is like torture." I gasped as he sucked on my neck. "Please." I moaned again as he kissed my lips again.

"Fuck." Shane cursed slamming his hips against mine but pulling away from my face. "This _is_ torture, Mitchie." He whined. "How long until we get married?" He pouted.

"Three weeks, you jerk." I laughed slightly. "And stop pouting."

He continued to pout, "Why?"

"Because it's making me want you more."

"Mit-chie!" He whined. "Don't tell me that." He buried his face into my shoulder.

I laughed and pushed him off of me. "Come on, we're supposed to be meeting up with everyone."

He mumbled, but allowed me to pull him along with me.

Suddenly, he stopped me, wrapping his arms around me from behind, something he knew I loved him doing. He pressed his lips against my neck softly. Speaking against it, he said, "I love you. I know it's in three weeks. I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Grey."

"Shane." I laughed teasing him as I turning around. "I've been Mrs. Grey since I was 16, practically. You just want to get laid."

His mouth dropped slightly. "Well, so do you." He replied childishly as I kept walking toward the bedroom to get ready.

I smirked at him over my shoulder as I pulled my shirt off. "I never said I didn't."

I laughed to myself as his face dropped again. He threw his head back and groaned. I smirked again. I loved this.

* * *

Mitchie is such a tease. And to think there was a time -ATCR Chapter 9- when she was embarrassed around the slightest things… how time flies when you're in love. Anywho, I'm now going to pack… at 3:30 in the morning. See ya soon. Not really, but…


	16. Chapter 16

How many of you suffered waiting for the new chapter? I suffered in the _worst_ road trip of my life. Which, usually, I love long car rides. This, however… Ill explain at the bottom so you can jump right into the story. Personally, I feel like I'm letting you guys down with this story, cause it's not 'living up to its potential' but, it's the best I can give you at the time. And… I know you are all excited for the Wedding Chapter, _but_ you've got a chapter or two before that! I've got something really… cute… planned that will let you see a new side to Shane… or explain a new side of Shane. The only good thing about that trip was all the plotting I did.

* * *

Chapter 16:

To Shane's surprise, we did have to meet up with everyone. We were supposed to be meeting them for lunch. Caitlyn called earlier in the morning and asked if we wanted to go out to lunch. This was the reason I was already up. Not because I was avoiding my fiancé. Seeing as we had no other plans, I accepted. I was utterly surprised when we arrived at the restaurant. Shane was as well.

When I asked for Gellar, we were lead to a big party room, where a collective "Surprise!" rang out through the room full of women.

"Oh my god." I gasped.

"Welcome to your Surprise Bridal Shower, Mitchie!" Caitlyn greeted, guiding me to a big chair in a corner.

"Shane, thank you for escorting you're lovely wife to be, however, no boys allowed. Henchmen!" Anastasia called out, clapping her hands together twice. Jason and Nate dutifully appeared out of nowhere and picked Shane up by his arms, caring him out. He yelled to me, laughing as they did.

Everyone began coming up to me and saying hello. My family as well as Shane's was there. All of the Camp Rock crew came, including Dee and other staff members I knew were there in addition to Peggy and Ella and the rest of the campers. Mr. Bradley's secretary and wife were even there. Jayden popped up next to me.

"Jayden!" I hugged her, surprising her. "Of course you'd be here!" I smiled.

"Okay, now that the icky boys are gone…" Anastasia said dramatically. "Mitchie, while you weren't here… we kept your guests entertained with a questionnaire."

"A what?" I asked bemused.

Caitlyn explained. "We gave them a bunch of questions to answer about you and Shane. It's fun, it's tradition, and… it… was… Stas' idea…?" She fumbled for a third reason. Anastasia looked over at her in confusion but shrugged. "But we give our answers, and you have to give us the correct answer."

"So, first question you must answer! What is your and Shane's favorite colors?" Anastasia asked. I smiled, shaking my head.

"Shane's is green." Nicky said rolling her eyes.

"Everyone knows that… what about Mitchie?" Caitlyn replied.

"Purple." "Yellow." "Green." Various colors were called out. Caitlyn turned to me for the right answer.

"That's a trick question." I answered. "I don't have one." I smiled.

"Does no answer count as a right answer?" One of Shane's aunts asked.

I smiled. "Sure!"

"Next question!" Anastasia said excitedly. "When did you and Shane _first_ meet?"

"Camp Rock!" Most people called out.

"Duh. We all know that." Caitlyn said. "Like specifically and exactly."

"Like, met _met_ or met?" I asked blushing slightly.

"_First_ met." Anastasia repeated, smirking.

I blushed deeper "In the kitchen."

"I thought you ran into him at the dock…" Nicky asked confused.

"As Mitchie, yeah. But I first met him when he came into the kitchen and complained. I had flour all over my face so he wouldn't recognize me." I admitted.

"Does he know that?" Someone asked. I shrugged. I don't know if he does or not.

"Okay," Caitlyn started, "What was the best moment of your life?"

"Getting into Camp Rock." Peggy suggested.

"Going on tour with _Connect 3_!" Ella yelled out.

I rolled my eyes. "The day Shane proposed." Nicky said.

"No, the day he gave you the promise ring." Anastasia said.

I shook my head no to all of them. Caitlyn and Mom smiled knowingly. "The day Shane sang to her for the first time." Mom said.

I nodded enthusiastically, smiling brightly. "Yup. _That_ is the day I started to fall for him."

"Okay, _next_ question. What are Shane and Mitchie's pet names for each other?"

"Shane always calls her baby. Nothing else." I nodded.

"Shane's kind of easy… isn't he?" I asked. Most of the younger girls giggled. "_So _not what I meant. Okay, moving on. My nickname for Shane?"

Mrs. Grey answered that one excitedly. "Pop star or jerk."

"How are those pet names?" Someone, I believe one of my cousins, asked.

I smiled. "It's just our thing. The first time I talked to Shane _not_ covered in flour, we called his music cookie-cutter-pop-star-stuff. So, he's a pop star. But he always calls himself a rock star. And whenever I call him a jerk, he says he's _my_ jerk."

The questions continued and I continued to answer them while we ate lunch. Finally, with that over, we began to open presents. I smiled giddily and began opening the first gift. I opened various house-ware gifts that were by no means going to be used anytime soon. When were we going to use them? Honestly?

When I opened Caitlyn and Anastasia's gift I laughed so hard I fell off the chair. There was a note attached to the cover, which was funnier than the gift. I was actually blushing from the gift. Nicky took the note and read it out loud. "Dear Mitchie & Shane, we know you. And we know you are going to be having lots and lots of sex when you're married. So, we thought we'd help keep it interesting. You'll have to give us your suggestions when we get married. Insert winking smiling face." Nicky doubled over in laughter when she saw the book. "Kama Sutra. Wow."

I gasped at Nicky as she read the note. "I can't believe you just read that in front of my and your grandmothers!"

She shrugged. "What? Obviously they've done it if we're here…" She was way too cool with other people's sex lives. I shuddered thinking about my grandparents having sex.

"Nicole Josephine Grey!" Her mother scolded. She shrugged again.

"Moving on." I rolled my eyes. "Thanks guys." I replied cheekily at my best friends.

Finally, I opened Mom's gift. I gasp from surprise, though not embarrassment this time. Inside the box I pulled out a beautiful white baby doll nightie. It was customary for the mother of the bride to buy her, her 'wedding night outfit'. My mother picked something absolutely beautiful and totally me.

"Though I doubt you'll even wear it for very long, if at all." She winked at me. Once again, I was blushing.

Once all of the presents were opened, I thanked everyone and people started to leave. The only people left were Caitlyn, Anastasia, Nicky, Jayden, Mom and Mrs. Grey aside from myself.

"Wow, thank you." I said hugging Caitlyn and Anastasia, who were closest. "This was amazing. But... how am I supposed to get it home?" I asked.

"Us!" Jason said coming in, trailed by Shane, Nate, Kevin, Dad, and Mr. Grey.

I ran over to Shane, feeling silly. I jumped in his arms. He caught me and spun me around. "What's gotten into you?" He asked, smiling as he set me on the ground.

I shrugged and kissed him sweetly. "Dunno. I'm just so _happy_. I don't know. Who cares?" I asked shrugging again.

Shane shook his head, but kissed my forehead and left me to help move our new stuff. "Mitchie?" He called, looking at one of the presents.

"Yeah?" I asked, coming closer to him.

"Who got us Kama Sutra?" He asked smirking over his shoulder. I glared at Anastasia and Caitlyn. "Thanks." He smirked while nodding toward them. I glared while they smiled brightly.

That night, I was laying on the couch, curled up with Shane watching a movie. We weren't paying much attention to it though, as we were talking. Nicky drove home with her parents and would be in Massachusetts for the next day for a friend's birthday, but would be home the next night via train.

"What are we going to do with all of that stuff?" He asked me, looking over to the dinning room table which was piled high in shower gifts.

I shrugged. "I have _no_ idea. We could store it at the house." I suggested.

"You're mother will be tempted to use it." He laughed.

"Well… we could leave it here. I mean, until you get back from tour and all. And then we'll decide what to do with it. I mean, it'll be in our apartment then."

"Our apartment?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You want to buy a house while I'm still in college? I'm already in debt with student loans." I asked.

"You realize once we get married, you'll lose your financial aid for next year, right?" He asked.

I groaned. "Why does this have to be so hard?" I laid head against his chest sighing pathetically.

"Relax. I can afford-"

"No." I cut him off. "You are _not_ paying for my schooling. I am." He opened his mouth to argue. "I'm serious, Shane." I could feel him sighing as he accepted my answer. I knew he was pouting, as well. "What did I tell you about pouting?" I said turning to lay on him.

"That it turns you on." He whined ever so slightly, continuing to pout rather sexily.

I bit my lip and smiled down at him. "Jerk." He kissed me smiling brightly.

Shane adjusted himself as I laid my head back down on his chest so we were now laying on the couch together. "I love you." Shane whispered into my hair. I smiled.

"I love you, too."

Of course, weddings cannot be blissful. I had a final fitting the next day for my wedding dress to ensure that everything was done correctly and that nothing had to be fixed. I came home in tears.

Shane and Nicky looked up from the couch as I entered with tears pouring down my face. Jayden dropped me off since I didn't bother taking Caitlyn or Anastasia for the fitting.

"What's wrong?" Shane demanded, immediately jumping up and coming over to me. Nicky stayed seated, but I could see the concern in her face.

"M-my dress." I cried.

Nicky jumped up, too, now. "What about it? You loved it, what's wrong?"

"I don't have one!" I cried even harder. "The seamstress tried to get it done last night because she was behind and she was rushing and she snagged the material and it ripped up the back of my dress and they don't have another one in my size. Why is this all going wrong?" I cried into Shane's neck as he wrapped his arms around me. Nicky stood next to us, rubbing my back.

"It'll be fine, Mitchie. The wedding isn't for 3 weeks yet." Shane said trying to soothe me.

"And it's taken them 5 so far." I cried even harder. "They're never going to get it done."

"Oh, Mitch. I'm sorry, baby." He whispered, kissing my temple.

I sniffled. "I'm gonna go take a shower and then go to bed." I pulled away from him. I could see the concern in his eyes as he watched me walk away to the bathroom.

When I got out of the bathroom, I didn't bother to get dressed, and laid down on the bed in my towel with my towel dried and still damp hair splayed out around me. Shane poked his head in a moment later. He frowned and came into the room, laying down on his side next to me.

"You okay?" He asked rubbing my arm gently.

I shook my head no. "I'm just… why is this so hard, Shane? Seriously? Is this a sign we shouldn't be getting married or something?" I asked. I watched his face fall and his frown deepen.

"No, baby, it's not." His hand moved up to my cheek, caressing it gently. "We _are_ meant to get married. There are so many things going _right_. You can't let every little thing that goes _wrong_ convince you _this_ is wrong."

"I know. I'm sorry." I blinked away tears. "Wow. Could I be anymore pathetic?" I asked with a watery laugh.

He smiled. "You aren't pathetic. You're just a typical bride freaking out. You need to relax. I called a David's Bridal in Massachusetts and they're overnight-ing the dress to another store near here, but not the one we've been using. I know you loved that dress, but they keep screwing it up, so the tailoring will be done elsewhere."

I smiled up at him. "You are too amazing." I cradled his face in my hands. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You saved me." He smiled, kissing me softly.

I smiled back. "Love you."

"Love you, too." He kissed my forehead. "Let's take a nap. You look like you need it."

I nodded weakly and curled up into his arms. Before falling asleep, I whispered sleepily, "What would I do without you, Shane?" I don't know what his answer was, because I fell asleep the moment his name slipped through my lips.

The next morning, I groggily rolled out of bed, surprised I was… well naked… under one of his t-shirts. My towel from the night before was laying on the back of the chair in his room. I groaned seeing my hair. It was everywhere. I brushed it out, but it was still everywhere. Shane found me a little while later in the bathroom straightening my hair.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Why are you straightening _your_ hair?" He asked.

I glared at him. "Because I didn't brush my hair before it dried, so it's all… bleh. And I want it straight." I explained.

He nodded, not entirely understanding. "Well, get dressed, you have a dress fitting to get to in an hour."

I dropped his straightener. "A what?" He frowned, picking up his straightener and inspecting it, making sure it didn't break. I rolled my eyes. "Shane!"

"A dress fitting." He repeated finally convinced his precious was still in tact and working order. Finally looking back at me, he smiled. "The store got your dress this morning, and they made a fitting for you in an hour. I already called Jayden, so she'll be meeting us there. I'm gonna drive you and pick you up, though."

I smiled at him. "Shane…" I awed. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head into his neck. "You never cease to amaze me." He hugged me back, rubbing small circles into my lower back.

"I know." He replied playfully. "I like it like that."

I rolled my eyes and went to get dressed. He stood in the doorway, watching me. My back was to him as I slipped on a bra, as I'd already put underwear on before I left for the bathroom. I pulled on one of my typical shirts that was tight across the chest and flared out below my breasts. It had thin straps, but was still very much my style. I looked over at him to find him smiling with this dazed look in his eyes, like he wasn't really looking _at me_, more like _toward me_.

"What's up?" I asked as I slipped a loose vest over it.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. You know, you will look extra cute when we have kids." He commented, startling me a bit.

"W-what?" I stuttered.

"Not now!" He assured me. "I mean, like in a few years. Your style is very flattering for pregnant women… not that you look pregnant, but… when you are… you won't necessarily know… and you will never be able to tell me you look hideous. You'll still be as beautiful, if not more so." He rambled.

"You're weird." I commented as I slid on my capris. He shrugged. "Okay, let's go." I passed him through the doorway, and he trailed behind me. "Where's Nick?" I asked.

"Still asleep." He commented. "We stayed up watching TV. I went to bed when she put on Bridezilla." He explained.

I laughed. "I'm not like that, right?" I asked, stopping and looking at him seriously.

"Not at all." He assured. "We keep you on a leash." He laughed.

I pouted. "That wasn't nice."

He wrapped his arms around me. "Sorry." He said, kissing my pouting lip. I responded, kissing him back fully. He groaned pulling away. "We have to go." He ushered me out of the apartment.

There were more reporters out there, and it looked like some ready to follow us. I shook my head and headed to the Mustang.

When we got to the store, the reporters following us stopped their vehicles, but didn't get out. The stayed in the cars, taking pictures.

Shane walked with me to the door. He smirked down at me before cradling my face in his hands and kissing me soundly. His ring was cool against my skin and I knew that the pictures were getting a clear shot of it still there. I smiled into the kiss as well.

"Love you." He whispered against my lips.

"Love you, too." As I entered the store, I heard the reporters begin to ask him questions. I laughed and bit my lip, looking around for Jayden.

"Hey." She appeared. "Shane called me this morning. You're my only story, so…"

I smiled. "Gee, now I feel special." I teased, hugging her slightly. "Okay, so, since my first dress was ruined, we now have the same dress being altered at a different store location." I explained. "Shane arranged all of it because he is amazing." Jayden nodded, writing notes down as I headed to the back of the store.

"Miss Torres." The seamstress greeted me. "Right this way." She lead me to a changing room where my dress was waiting. I changed me shoes and slid on the dress. After Jayden zipped me up, I went to stand on the platform.

"I don't know if Mr. Grey explained to you that we can't guarantee that the dress will be done by your wedding." She explained while pinning the hem.

I nodded. He hadn't. "No, he hadn't, but I understand. On such short notice and all."

"We want to make sure it's done right this time, so we won't be rushing it. However, we have other orders that we need to fill first." She explained.

Again, I nodded. "I appreciate that. And I can totally understand that I'm last on the list."

When she was finished, I called Shane to pick me up, praying silently to myself that my dress would be done.

* * *

I was supposed to leave Friday morning. Then that changed to Friday afternoon. Then that changed to Saturday morning. Then maybe Saturday night. Finally, we were leaving Sunday morning, which ended up being Sunday afternoon, but… still. So, I missed my cousin's birthday party Saturday, because I was home, waiting on them. The trip itself was… deadly… you could say. The poor cats and dog traveling with us were like on the verge of getting heat stroke or something. And I was in the car with my aunt, making sure she didn't fall asleep… not fun. Slightly frightening. I was supposed to get to Florida Monday night or Tuesday morning. Then her car kept dying every night, so we had to keep getting it jumped. We stopped Monday night in South Carolina and didn't get out of South Carolina until 2 the next afternoon. It's only like 2 and half hours long… seriously. Finally, I got to Florida around 5:30 Tuesday night. I was supposed to be back in Jersey by then! We'd changed my flight that morning from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. My aunt and uncle's new house is 1 and half hours from the airport… we left at 10:30, my flight was at 12:30. I got to the airport at 12:07 and missed my flight. So then I was on standby and thankfully was able to get on the next flight at 1:50, which was then delayed on the runway for almost an hour. Trip from hell. Absolute trip from hell. So, take comfort in the fact that I suffered just as much -if not more than- you did.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! Thank you for your sympathy. Lol. Well, here's the next chapter, and no, it's not the wedding just yet. When you get a update alert, it says the chapter title. I promise I will write 'The Wedding' in the title so you know. Okay? This isn't filler! I promise. It seems like it, but it's not. I'm addressing a lot of things that I've been contemplating about this story so far. Things like how much things have changed, etc. And, may I just say that I don't necessarily 'plan' this story. I have a basic outline in my head, but most of it, I sit, I write, and everything connects magically. The Woodale thing occurred in my head as I was writing it. It wasn't planned. There are a lot of moments like that in ATCR and LKG. Okay, well, enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 17:

A much needed vacation came in the form of Camp Rock that year. I hadn't really seen Mom in a while and I wanted to show her all of the plans for the wedding. The Saturday before Final Jam, Shane, Nicky, Jacob and I piled into the Mustang.

Nicky and I grew excited as we pulled up outside of the administration building. I ran out of the car before it even stopped, with Nicky right behind me seconds later. Shane caught Jacob before he ran out after us. I heard Shane mumbling under his breath but I ignored it and ran into the office with Nicky.

"Uncle Brown!" We yelled, seeing him standing at his desk, looking for something.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite nieces!" He laughed, coming over to us. He hugged each of us tightly. "How are things?" He asked.

"Good. Mitchie and Shane are boring." Nicky complained.

I laughed. "No, we just aren't doing things you want us to." I replied. "Things are good. Not amazingly perfect, but still pretty good. Is my mom in the kitchen?" I asked.

Brown nodded and I ran off to the kitchen. I saw Anastasia's car pulling up next to the Mustang, but didn't bother to stop. "Mommy!" I cried running in the back door and hugging my mother tightly. "God, I've missed you." I said, not letting go. Mom smiled and hugged me back.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Wedding planning is so much harder than I thought it'd be." I sighed.

"I'm sorry I'm not home to help. I just have so much fun up here." She said looking slightly upset.

"I totally understand. It's not even things you can help with. But Shane is being amazing as always with all of it."

"Well, I'm baking cupcakes if you want to help." She smiled at me, moving back to where she was icing them.

Shane came in awhile later while I was cleaning up for Mom. He picked up a cupcake and scooped icing off of it. I smiled.

"Déjà vu." I laughed.

"Yeah. Except you aren't covered in flour." He comment. I blushed and threw my rag at him. "You don't do that too much anymore." He said softly.

"Do what? Cover myself in flour?" I asked confused.

He shook his head. "No, blush."

I shrugged. "You've got me jaded." I smiled playfully.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to resort to telling you all of the things I plan on doing to you on our honeymoon." He smirked.

I did indeed blush again. "Jerk." He smiled. "So, did you catch up with Brown?" I asked.

"Yes. And you, Nicky, Cait and Stas are '_sharing_' a cabin while we're here." He said slightly disappointed.

"Why are we _'sharing'_ a cabin?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because you and I both know that will completely change by the time we all fall asleep tonight. I'm thinking we shove Nicky with Nate and Caitlyn, cause they don't do anything anyway… and Stas won't care if we're doing anything cause she'll be doing it, too." He explained.

"We could all chill in one cabin." I said thinking over his theory.

"Too suspicious if only 1 cabin is being used." He smirked, having already thought it out.

"You know, we _could_ kick all of them out into one cabin." I said, playing with a cupcake.

He smiled. "Somehow, I don't think my sister will trust us to be alone."

I sighed. "True. Oh well. We lived in much closer space with all of them before, right?" I half smiled.

"You like living alone, don't you?" He asked knowingly, reaching across the counter to touch my cheek.

I nodded. "I just, I love our friends and all, and my family, but… I just… I like being alone with you." I admitted.

"Good." He smiled widely. "Well, tomorrow you get your surprise." He said.

"Really? I figured you'd wait until our anniversary." I said, surprised as usual.

He shook his head. "Nah. It's not going to be our anniversary much longer, and with it being Final Jam, that always makes it a tad bit hard. And this way I don't interfere with Nate at all."

"You are too thoughtful for your own good. What happened to the jerky popstar I met right here two years ago?" I asked smiling softly.

"He found himself." He sighed smiling softly as well. "We've changed a lot since then." He realized.

"I know. You used to petrify me. I never thought about the future… I apparently blushed more."

"You were freaked by me kissing you anywhere but your mouth…" He threw out. I glared at him slightly. "We've just matured." He decided. "Nothing wrong with it."

"True. Change is good."

He sighed again. "Not always." He admitted.

"Well, just think. If you hadn't become the jerky pop star you were, we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

He smiled brightly. "You are very right." He leaned across the counter and kissed me.

Mom came in a moment later. "Do that in your cabin!" She chided as we broke apart.

I smiled. "Sorry, Mom." We said, smiling at her. She laughed and threw her arm around Shane.

"I've missed you two. What am I gonna do when you're away at college and you're gone on tour? I'll never see you!" She cried slightly.

"Aw. Momma T." Shane said wrapping his arm around her as well. "We'll miss you, too."

I smiled at the site of my mother and fiancé so comfortable and loving with one another. "Yeah." I agreed softly.

We spent a lot of time with Mom after that showing her all of the details about the wedding. Jacob was especially excited to see Mom as well. Later, we were all gathered in the Mess Hall for dinner.

"It's so weird to be back here." Caitlyn sighed. "I've spent the last 4 summers here, but being here, now, this year? It's so different."

I nodded. "Yeah. It is weird… not being campers and all."

"That's what it was like for us the first summer Shane was here." Nate added. "You get used to it."

"I forget you guys are older than us." I commented. "It doesn't feel like it most times."

"I feel older than them most times." Anastasia commented.

"Yeah, right. You're just as bad as Jason sometimes." Shane laughed.

We smiled and laughed. Not too many of the campers knew us as friends. They knew us as 'Connect 3 & Company.' We received a lot of stares and bewildered looks by the younger crowd.

"This is awkward." Shane said looking around and seeing all of the younger girls staring at us as he wrapped an arm around me.

"Yeah. Why are they staring so hard?" Jason asked.

"I don't know." Nate answered, shrugging.

"I'm going to see if Mom needs help." I kissed Shane and stood up. He watched me go, and I could feel eyes on me. I looked over my shoulder and realized Shane wasn't looking at me. He was looking at a guy staring at me. I blushed and headed to the kitchen even faster. Shane followed a few minutes later.

"What's up?" I asked, drying a dish.

"Nothing." He mumbled, picking at the left over cupcakes. "Just missed you."

"You weren't even looking at me when I left." I said softly.

"I was… at first. Then I noticed some punk watching your ass." He grumbled.

"Shane." I said warningly.

"Sorry. I know, Connie doesn't like cursing. But it's really not a curse." He defended. I smiled dismissively, since that wasn't what I was talking about.

"So what if someone was looking at me? Girls stare at you -and worse- all the time." I replied.

"And you hate it." He threw back. "You get jealous all the time, baby." He smirked.

"And clearly, so do you." I glared at him. His smirk faltered.

"It's degrading for a guy to watch you like that." He argued.

I threw my hands up in the air. "You do it all the time!" I cried.

"It's different. I'm your husband." He defended.

I smirked. "Not yet, pop star."

He rolled his eyes. "Close enough."

I smiled for real. "Well, thank you for defending my honor. You didn't do anything _stupid_ did you?" I asked.

"No." He sighed. "I just glared and Nate snapped at me… so I came to find my beautiful girl who was hiding in the kitchen again. What's up with that?"

"It's all gonna change when we get married. I just… I wanted to remember what brought me here." Shane started humming and I smiled. "Are you humming Woodale?" I asked.

He smiled and started singing to me. "_With a long way from where we first saw, there's too much here, the world can't say we're wrong." _He moved over to me while singing the song and wrapped his arms around me. _"And even when the roads begin to disappear, we won't forget what brought us here. No, we'll still go._"

I smiled up at him. "Very fitting, don't you think?" He asked. I nodded and kissed him.

"More so now then Valentine's Day." I admitted.

He laughed. "And to think neither of us actually knew that song when we put it on our CDs." I laughed too, enjoying the moment.

That night when we went to bed, we all started in our respective cabins. Shane ended up sneaking over to my cabin with Nate. Nate was staying, while Anastasia and I were being traded. I smiled sleepily and followed Shane out with Anastasia.

"Where are we going?" She asked equally sleepy.

"To the other cabin." Shane whispered.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I don't like not sleeping with you." He admitted softly to me. I smiled while Anastasia rolled her eyes. "And cause Jason wants to see Stas." She smiled giddily and walked faster to the boys' cabin. Shane and I walked slower, enjoying the cool night air.

"Sorry I woke you up." Shane said softly.

I shrugged. "It wasn't that great of a sleep." I admitted. "It's going to suck when I can't share a bed with you in September."

"Actually-" He stopped himself. "Never mind. I want to tell you tomorrow night, okay?" I nodded, figuring it had something to do with his tour.

When we reached the cabin, Jason and Anastasia were both sound asleep in Jason's bed. I crawled into Shane's bed, and he slipped in behind me.

"Love you." He whispered against my neck.

"Love you, too." I whispered falling asleep as well.

Shane and Nicky spent time with Uncle Brown while I hung out with Mom. Caitlyn was catching up with Milo. Anastasia, Jason and Nate were going around the camp, watching the various groups practicing. Sunday evening around 5:30, I was surprised to have Mom shooing me out of the kitchen and telling me to go take a shower. I gave her an odd look but she told me to do it.

When I came out of the bathroom in Shane's cabin later on, I found a summer dress I owned but almost never wore sitting on the bed. I rolled my eyes but got dressed anyway. I slipped on a sweater I had in my bag, knowing it was going to get colder up here. It didn't exactly match, but it worked.

Shane showed up around 7:30, dragging me down the steps. He was dressed in a button down shirt that was mostly open and untucked with a t-shirt underneath. Surprisingly, instead of his usually skinny jeans, he had a pair of regular loose jeans. My eyes took in his site while he dragged me. Obviously dress pants weren't appropriate in his mind. I'd never really seen him in jeans. Actually, I didn't know he _owned_ jeans. "Shane, what are we doing?" I asked as he headed toward the canoes. "Your surprise is a canoe ride?" I asked, slightly disappointed. He shook his head no and pointed out at the lake. The sun would be setting soon and in the center of the lake was a small floating dock, with a table and chairs set up on it.

I didn't say anything, too much in shock to do so. When we finally climbed out of the boat and onto the small dock, I was able to speak. There was just enough room up there for us to move around the table and not fall off. As he pulled out my chair, I asked, "What _is_ all this?"

"Well," he said sitting down. "Every attempt at a first date I ever tried ended in us being hounded by the paparazzi or joined by our friends. No one else can fit out here and we're all alone."

"Shane…" I smiled laughing slightly. "Two years have gone by. I would have thought you'd given up on the first date."

"Well, we're getting married. I thought it only be right that we actually have an official date, for no reason other than to have a date before we do."

I smiled even more. "We were alone on Valentine's Day this year." I commented.

"That's cause we did our own things. Doesn't count if everyone else is busy, too." He explained.

I raised an eyebrow as he lifted two covered plates out of basket next to the table that I'd missed. "You didn't cook that did you?" I asked skeptically.

"No, I _helped_." He admitted. "Momma T did."

I giggled. "Good. Cause you suck at cooking, dear."

He pouted. "Thanks."

"I just don't want you getting any ideas that could burn down our kitchen someday." I teased.

He smiled back. "Dig in." I smiled as I took the cover off to reveal my favorite dish of Mom's. It was a Spanish dish that I never really learned the name of. It was always called Papi's dish.

"So," He started, while we were eating. "Do you remember last night when I was going to say something and told you I'd tell you tonight?" I nodded. "Well, our tour manager came up with an idea."

I interrupted. "Isn't John your tour manager? And isn't he currently on another tour? How is he coming up with ideas for _your_ tour?"

He chuckled. "He's almost done with the other tour, so he's really just supervising over there. Anyway… he thought that maybe, if we changed some of the tour dates, we could get back to the states sooner." I eyed him skeptically.

"How?" I demanded.

"Well, if we played during the three weeks we're taking off, we could be home almost 5 weeks sooner."

"So, basically, you won't be home for Christmas? Like you promised." I said quietly.

He sighed. "Well, I wouldn't be _home_, but you can come see me in Europe." He said softly.

"You'll be touring. It won't be the same. You know that." I argued gently.

"Then we won't. It was just an idea, so I could come home sooner." He dismissed the idea, but I could tell he was a little upset.

"Shane… I know it's going to be impossible, but I wanted to _try_ to be normal sometimes. I want you home, alone, with me, for Christmas."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just the thought of being away from you… it drives me insane."

"We'll survive." I assured him, though my own thoughts and fears mirrored his.

After we ate, Shane rowed us back to the stationary dock, where we sat, watching the stars for a while.

"Three weeks." Shane sighed, holding me tightly.

"And to think, two years ago, you hated me at this point." I said with a slight edge to my voice.

He sighed again, "I didn't _hate _you, Mitchie…"

"I'm kidding. Sorry." I replied burying my face into his neck and inhaling his scent.

"I know." He whispered into my hair. "I just hate when you bring it up. I was a jerk. And I know it eats at you when you think about lying to me."

I held myself tighter to him and sighed. "How'd you know?" I asked.

"It always has. Just because you can talk about it doesn't mean it doesn't drive you insane at the same time."

We were silent for a while, before I spoke again. "What am I going to do if my dress isn't finished?"

He shrugged. "It'll be done. And if it isn't… well… we'll go buy you a different one that doesn't need to be altered. We can go back to getting married in a white tank top and jean skirt and a black button down and jeans, if we have to." He said trying to cheer me up.

I smiled. "With the top hats, right?" He chuckled underneath me. I was amazed to feel the laughter rumbling in his chest. It always amazed me.

"Yes, love, with the top hats." I smiled hearing him call me love. He'd been spending a lot of time with Brown while we were here so far, but he also had been talking to him on the phone a lot.

I was happy to see Shane and Brown becoming closer. During that first summer at Camp Rock, it wasn't hard to see how hurt Brown was by Shane's actions. I'd always suspected that there was a bad falling out when Shane become famous, or Shane just stopped talking to him all together.

"Let's head back." Shane suggested as I shivered.

I stopped him as he began to stand up. "Not yet."

He stayed seated. "Okay. What's up? You're shivering. Why don't you want to go back?"

"I just want to spend some more time with you." I said softly. "This was an awesome first date." I teased.

He smiled down at me. "Thank you."

"It's a lot like the night we got together." I said wistfully. "Save for the dinner and floating dock. And our friends interrupting." I commented.

"You're righ-" He sighed, looking over his shoulder. "I wouldn't count on that last one." He said softly. I looked over my shoulder as well and saw the four of them heading toward us with lanterns.

"Do you know what a _date_ is?" I asked them laughing slightly.

They shrugged. "We do. We were coming to spy. We figured you'd still be out on the dock." Jason explained.

"Jason." The other three hissed, hitting him.

"Sorry." He replied, rubbing his now sore arms.

"Well, we wanted to see how your date was going. Guess now we're interrupting it." Caitlyn said.

"Yes. Yes, you are." Shane said.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys, let's leave them be." They started walking away and I looked up at Shane. He rolled his eyes but nodded.

"No, it's okay. Come back. We were getting ready to head in soon anyway." He called out. I smiled. No we weren't.

The six of us sat out there for a long time talking. I mean, a _long_ time. By the time we were getting ready to head into the cabins, the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon.

"Oh, let's watch the sunrise." Anastasia said happily.

Nate was the first to sit back down. "I haven't watched one since I went to camp here."

The rest of us followed suit, sitting back down on the edge of the dock. We were silent, watching the morning sunrise brightly in amazement. As the last rays peaked up with the beautiful red and pink sky, I turned to the rest of the group.

"I love you guys." I smiled.

Anastasia and Caitlyn awed and the guys smiled brightly at me. "We love you, too." Jason replied.

"You really think we're going to stay this way forever?" Anastasia asked.

"We've been this way for two years now." Nate commented.

Shane nodded in agreement. "Even if we don't stay the exact same, we'll always find our ways back to each other."

"I can't believe one of us is getting married." Nate sighed.

"I can't believe _Shane_ is getting married." Jason laughed.

"Hey, now." Shane playfully pushed Jason.

I smiled. These boys really were best friends. Nothing was able to come between them for long. I sighed. "Let's try and get some sleep." I said, standing up.

Nate looked at his watch. "Yeah, it's 5:30." He yawned.

Sleepily, we all made our way back to the cabins. That was definitely the best date of my life.

* * *

Bree is getting excited. She can't wait for the wedding chapters that she has planned. And the plot twists after them!


	18. Chapter 18

Hey! So, another could-be-considered-filler-but-it-has-a-point-and-I-planned-it-to-go-before-the-wedding-chapter-and-it-isn't-pointless-fillery-crap chapter. There is exactly, one more chapter - I believe- until the wedding. So, Chapter 20 should be the wedding, if not 21. But, for reasons that are my own, I may not post the wedding the day after I post the next chapter. It may be a few days, and you will totally understand why when I post it. Oh! And on a really happy personal note, my brother called us last night, letting us know he was back in Virginia from Iraq and that he'll be home in Jersey on the 15th! I can't wait. I'm extremely close to my brother despite the 4 years difference.

* * *

Chapter 18:

Final Jam was on Thursday, and by Wednesday, Nicky was bored and depressed.

"I can't even watch TV out here." She complained.

Shane rolled his eyes. "I told you I'd take you home before we came here. You insisted on coming."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it'd be so boring without Riley." She mumbled.

I sighed and gave Shane a look. He rolled his eyes and left the cabin. "What's wrong, Nick?" I asked gently.

She sighed. "I haven't seen him in months. I barely get to talk to him. This sucks. Why do we _choose_ to do this?" She asked.

I smiled. "Because we love them. It's hard, Nicky, but you have to hold out. Believe me, if it wasn't worth it in the end, I wouldn't be getting married in less than a month."

"But it's different with you and Shane. You just… click." She sighed again. I rolled my eyes to myself.

"So do Stas and Jason." I reasoned. "But so do Caitlyn and Nate. And we know they have there fair share of problems."

She half smiled. "I know. But, you all have your relationship out in the open. I don't."

I pouted. "That's your brothers fault." I perked up a moment later, though. "There are ups and downs to having your relationship out in the open or kept quiet. You don't get to see him, there are probably a million stories about who he's dating that make you worried that he's cheating, and you have to hide your true feelings around people who don't know or you don't trust to know. But at the same time, you don't have to deal with haters and the press hounding you. Especially you. You get enough crap with being _Shane Grey's_ little sister. But having the world know can have it's advantages, too. I can kiss him whenever I want and I don't have to hide. But then they like to throw their opinion out there as well. I'm not telling you which to do. Whatever you choose is best. You really need to talk to Riley about this."

She nodded. "I would if he'd ever call." She pouted.

I awed. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Let's go see if Mom has any ice cream in the kitchen."

She smiled. "I love your mom." She said as we headed toward the kitchen.

Nicky was stuffing her face when I heard footsteps I looked up and saw Riley walking up behind her. He pressed his finger to his lips and indicated for me to be silent. I nodded discretely. "I'll be right back, okay?" I moved off to the side of the kitchen and watched as Riley bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Riley!" She screamed jumping up to hug him. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?" She asked with her arms around his taller frame. He'd grown a few inches in the last year and now towered over his girlfriend.

"Wanted to see my favorite girl." He said looking down at her, smiling brightly. "The last few tour dates got canceled because there weren't enough sales, so they transferred all of the tickets to one show and I have the rest of the summer off."

"Oh my god!" She laughed happily. "That's amazing. I mean, not the whole, not enough sales thing, but you being here."

He shrugged. "It's okay. They're fairly expensive tickets because of the headliner, and that entire area of the country is pretty broke."

"That's true. It's not your show." She nodded. "Next tour, you should totally go with my brother. Then I'd get to hear from you more."

He looked sheepish. "Actually- I am. I'm opening up for them in Europe." He winced.

"What? Europe. You just got off tour with- and now you're- Riley!" She yelled. She pushed him. "I hate you." She yelled, storming out of the kitchen. She came back a moment later, grabbed the ice cream and left again, glaring at Riley.

He dropped onto the stool she'd been on. "What do I do?" He asked, obviously knowing I was hiding.

"I can't tell you. She's… you need to talk to her. Try talking to Shane. We've had our fair share of tour related fights." I said as I walked back out into the open.

"Thanks." He said, getting up. "Do you know where he is?" He asked.

I shook my head no. "I kicked him out of the cabin to talk to Nicky and I haven't seen him since. She's really missed you, Ri."

He nodded. "I know. I've missed her, too." He nodded once more before leaving without another word. I sighed and placed my ice cream back in the freezer.

The following night, Nicky still refused to talk to Riley, still too mad at him to think clearly. I tried to help, but she was pretty stubborn.

Actually, once again, we don't know who won -well Shane does, but I don't- because Riley and Nicky were outside screaming at each other. Well, Nicky was screaming and Riley was trying to yell over her.

"You're so selfish! Did you even think about this before you agreed? Honestly, I'm in high school, having my boyfriend in Europe on a tour isn't the eas-" Nicky was screaming.

"I love you." Riley cut her off. I froze, watching the preverbal volleyball drop to the ground.

"W-what?" She stuttered. Something clicked in my head. He'd never told her he loved her before. They've been together over a year and she considered having sex with him…and he _just_ said that?

"I love you?" He repeated uncertain.

"And you picked _now_ to tell me that?" She cried out in anger. "Nice one, Ri. Thanks a lot." She stormed off in tears. Riley looked at me helplessly. I shrugged and followed Nicky back to our cabin.

"He's never said that before and you considered _sleeping_ with him?" I yelled walking into the cabin. I don't know why, but I felt a sudden maternal urge over Nicky.

"Not now, Mitchie." She groaned tearfully. "I can't believe he just said that. Like… the sky is blue, oh wait, we're arguing, so let me question it after I say it."

"I'm sorry. We'll discuss that later. But, seriously, what's wrong?"

"He just… he didn't even tell me that he was going to perform with them. Like, that it was even in the works. And neither did Shane."

"Don't get mad at Shane. It wasn't his place. He might not even know yet, since I don't know. But, Riley should have told you. Nicky," I sighed. "Something you need to learn about dating a pop star? They like to leave you out of the loop until the _have_ to tell you. Shane did it up until I threatened him."

"Why is this so hard?" She cried. I rubbed her back.

"I don't know. Do you love him?"

"Yes." She squeaked.

I nodded to myself. "Then go talk to him. Not yell. _Talk_." She sighed, but did as she was told.

Shane came in a little while later, looking for me. "Hey. What's up?" He asked sitting next to me on the bed.

"Nicky and Riley are having a Shane and Mitchie argument." I said simply.

"So, he never told her he'd be opening up for us?" He said in understanding.

"Yup. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I didn't want you to accidentally tell Nicky. And I wasn't sure until just now."

"Oh." I said softly.

"Sorry, didn't think it was that major."

I shrugged. "A heads up would have made my life easier since I _am_ your sister's best friend, pretty much."

He sighed. "Sorry."

"I forgive you." I said playfully.

He grinned and leaned over to kiss me. Within moments we were making out on the bed, not caring whose it was.

"Ohmigod. Ew. Off my bed." Nicky cried.

We laughed pulling apart breathlessly. "This from the girl who basically keeps telling us to do it." Shane teased.

She glared. "Not on my bed, I don't." She replied.

"Did you and Riley make up?" I asked. She looked away. "Nicky…" I warned.

"Not exactly. We're… taking a break?" She said timidly.

"Nicky!" I groaned. "The boy tells you he loves you and you _take a break_?!" I cried out at her.

Shane became alert asking, "What?"

We ignored him, of course. "I'm scared, Mitch. What if… what if he doesn't mean it, and just said it to get me to stop talking?" Nicky asked defensively.

"What would it matter at this point?" I yelled at her. "You were more than willing to sleep with him but you can't handle him telling you he loves you?"

"What?!" Shane yelled even louder. Again, we ignored him.

"It's different. Sex doesn't have to be because you're in love. Saying I love you should be because you're in love." She retorted.

"That's a depressing outlook, Nick. You should be in love with the person when you take that step in your relationship." I said softly.

"Yeah… well… it's how I see things. Sex isn't what you all make it out to be."

"How would you know?" Shane demanded with narrowed eyes. Nicky wouldn't look at us. "Nicky." He said sternly. She bit her lip as it began to tremble. "Nicole… tell me you didn't…" Shane pleaded.

"It just… happened…" She said softly, not looking at him still.

"Nix…" He sighed, hugging his baby sister. I kept quiet, watching the scene before me unfold. Nicky started crying in Shane's arms. "When?"

"At a party when I was 14." She sniffled.

"With who?" He asked.

"One of Kevin's friends, I think. I don't really remember. I was…" She stopped talking. Shane groaned. "I'm sorry, Shane. Please don't tell Mom and Dad." She begged.

"I won't." He promised. "Just, promise me you won't again until you _know_ it's right."

"I promise." She replied. I smiled at the sight of them.

"Now, why are you so afraid of Riley's feelings?" He asked.

She shrugged and reached out her hand to me. I allowed her to pull me onto the other bed with her and Shane. Shane and I sat there, with our arms wrapped around her, soothing her. "I'm afraid that I've found the one already, and that my life is… over… or that I'm going to love him so much and lose it all because in the end he's not…"

"That makes no sense, Nicky." I teased. I managed to get a smile from her. "But I can understand that. Finding someone you love so much at such a young age is scary. You think in a few years you're going to realize you wanted something else, something more. That you never got to truly test the waters of life." Shane shot me a worried glance, but I smiled reassuringly at him. "But sometimes you do find the one and nothing can change your mind. You just need to be willing to take that risk that everything is going to fall apart in front of your face. Because if you don't take that chance, things will."

"Mitchie's right. But that's not all that scares you, is it Nix?" It was rare to hear Shane call Nicky, Nix. It was an occasional nickname he had for her, since most people called her Nick or Nicky to begin with. He only ever called her Nix in special moments. I'd overheard them talking one night in the apartment about when they were younger. Shane kept calling her Nix and she called him Shay. I hadn't heard either since.

"No." She shook her head. "He's older than me… and famous…"

"You sound a lot like Mitch and me." Shane smiled down at her.

"But… Riley and I don't click like you do." She argued weakly.

I rolled my eyes. "This again? Have you ever seen the way that boy looks at you?" I asked. "He's loved you for a while now. I was surprised he hadn't told you."

"I guess you're a bit Nate and Caitlyn like, too." Shane laughed.

"Yeah…" Nicky agreed softly. "I don't know what to do."

"I think you need to tell Riley what's really bothering you and then decided if you want to be together or not." I suggested. She nodded.

"I will in the morning." She promised. "I'm going to bed. Night, Shay." She kissed Shane's cheek. "Night, Mitch." She hugged me and got off the bed. Shane and I stood and headed to the door as she crawled into hers.

"Love you, Nicky." I called back to her.

"Yeah." Shane agreed.

"I love you guys, too." She smiled and went to sleep.

We sighed as we headed back to the cabin. "That was weird." I commented softly.

"I don't know. It was… different. Not weird." Shane disagreed.

"Either way. I felt like… a parent or something." I said.

Shane smiled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Relax. That's called being a big sister." He explained. "She hasn't ever had one and you've never been one, so…"

"Well, you are an awesome big brother. She's lucky to have you." I decided.

"I want to show you something when we go to Massachusetts again." Shane told me.

"What?" I asked.

"You'll see." He said simply. "And by the way, Happy Anniversary." He laughed.

"Happy Anniversary." I replied, kissing him lightly.

After leaving Camp Rock the next day, Shane decided to take me to Massachusetts instead of home to New York. We pulled up outside of a small beat up house on the outskirts of a small town. There wasn't another house for about 5 minutes up the road. I was a little nervous being out here. It reminded me of Justin's house. Shane stepped out of the car and I followed suit.

"Shane… why are we here?" I asked uncomfortably.

"With the wedding and all… I've been doing a _lot_ of thinking. Things I want to tell you, show you, do with you. All before we do get married. This is one of the things I never really thought to share before that."

"Oh. So, what is this?" I asked nervously.

"This… is my house." He answered simply, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I faltered. "Your… what?" I asked, confused.

"This is where we lived when I was younger." He explained. "My parents still own the property."

There was a stark difference in this house and Shane's house near Boston. The house in Boston was a beautiful, upscaled two story house with a huge back yard, a pool, two master bedrooms and three other bedrooms. This was a small 1 story house that looked like it had maybe one or two bedrooms.

"I can see why your parents moved with the twins." I said, assuming they moved when the twins were born.

"This was my parents pride and joy before I was born. They saved up their money prior to getting married and bought this house. Mom wanted to live near Boston, but they couldn't afford it at the time. And Massachusetts was closer to Boston than New Jersey was." He said, dismissing what I had said.

"Your mom's from Jersey?" I asked astonished. I never realized it.

He nodded. "Yup. Born and raised a Jersey girl. Like someone else." He smiled at me. "But Boston always called to her as a kid. Gramps used to take her on day trips all the time. It was a bit of a drive, but she never minded getting up at 4 in the morning if she got to go to Boston for the day." I smiled. "Anyway. They bought the house and got married. Unplanned and unexpected, I was born ten months later. It was hard, because they spent most of their savings on the house and weren't planning on a newborn. But they made due at the time. Then the twins were born 5 years later and there just wasn't enough room. At first, we shared my room, but then when I turned 10... Sharing a room with my 5 year old sister was awkward. So, Mom and Dad bought a sofa bed and moved out into the living room. Kev and I shared a room and Nick got her own."

"When did they buy the new house? It seems like things were really tight…" I asked confused.

He again ignored my questions. "They started fighting when I was 13. Money was getting tight. So, Uncle Brown took me for the summer. He had just started Camp Rock in the last year. I never wanted to tell you this…" He sighed.

"Tell me what?" I asked suspiciously.

"I was mad that you lied to me about your mom. But, I did the same. Everyone knew Brown was my uncle, but they didn't know I was going to Camp Rock because my parents couldn't take care of me. That I wasn't paying to go to camp."

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" I asked, slightly hurt.

He sighed. "Because I was ashamed that I'd given you the impression you had to hide, when I hid a lot worse. We moved on from it, I didn't want to think about it, I never mentioned it."

"So, why tell me now?" I asked.

"I'm getting there. I promise." He said. "I spent every summer there, and Brown and I were really close. Then, we got signed. Everything changed after that. My parents did their best to give us everything they could and I appreciated everything they did. So, I took my signing bonus and told them I wanted to buy a house. They told me no at first, but I begged them, seeing as Nicky and Kevin deserved a better house, and that Mom deserved to live closer to Boston like she wanted. They eventually caved. That's why I have my own bathroom and a huge bedroom. 'Cause it's my house." He smiled. "I wanted to make sure my brother and sister had everything they wanted. But then, once we started getting bigger, I came to realize the other side of people. I found myself getting used a lot. And, it didn't take long for me to get sick of it. I never stopped giving my brother and sister anything they asked for, but I stopped trusting people. Remember when I said I never know why people are hanging with me?" I nodded in understanding. "I also thought Uncle Brown was using me. He kept begging me to come see him at Camp Rock, saying it wasn't the same without me. But, I thought he just wanted the publicity."

I was shocked, knowing Brown was nothing like that. "Shane, I still don't know why you're telling me this…" I said confused.

"People think you changed me… and in a way, you did. But it was more like… you just showed me who I used to be. You've given me back so many things I'd lost along the way. I owe you so much. I wanted to show you that you don't have to worry about me turning back into that jerk you first met. That's not me. And with you to ground me, I won't ever be that way again." He finally faced me head on and took my hands in his. "Mitchie, I want to give you everything in this world I can. I don't think I can ever give you as much as you've given me. I know you hate when I spoil you, but I _love_ doing it. I want you to be happy. I never want you to want. When we have a family someday, more than Jake, I want to give them the absolute best I can. I'm not ashamed of where I come from, but I don't want them to ever go through some of the things I did."

I smiled softly at him, awing ever so slightly. "Shane…"

"And I totally just ruined half of my vows." He groaned.

"You wrote your vows?" I asked, surprised.

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure they'll still be beautiful. Thank you, for showing me this. I think I really understand you now."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around me while I buried my face into his neck. "Good. I don't think I said exactly everything I wanted to, but I told you enough."

"I owe you a lot, too, Shane." I whispered. "Don't ever think we aren't even. I love you."

He kissed my head. "I love you, too, baby."

* * *

So… today is Bree's birthday… she's 18... Aren't you all excited for her? Oh! She just realized she's posting Chapter 18 on her 18th birthday! Haha. And Allison, Eye El Oh Vee Ee Ewe Oh So Much!


	19. Chapter 19

OMJ!! My brother is HOME! Like in NJ in my house! He wasn't supposed to be home until the 15th, but he got a 96 (meaning he has the next 96 hours or 4 days off) and my dad drove down to Viriginia (6 hour drive) at 3 in the morning to bring him home for the weekend. He walked into my dining room at like 8 oclock and I basically launched myself across everything in my way and tackled him basically. Thankfully for him, he's gotten good at catching me when I do that! So, thank you all for the birthday wishes, it was the 9th. I actually posted it at like 1 in the morning or something. This chapter is because I felt like Shane was a little too perfect to be real.

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Chapter 19:

The next two weeks had flown by rather quickly. Riley was at the apartment almost every day, begging and pleading with Nicky. She was still uncertain about them, and didn't feel right lying to him about that.

Shane tried to cheer Riley up one day while Nicky was in the bathroom. "Come on, come out with us tonight. She'll come around eventually. And if she doesn't, well, it's not meant to be. She's stubborn. She'll come out of this. I promise." He tried to reassure Riley.

"Yeah, I guess. Isn't tonight your bachelor's party?" Riley asked.

Shane smirked. "Yeah. But we aren't going anywhere too bad, because Kevin's 16."

"Oh, you remembered that, did you?" I asked sarcastically from the kitchen. "Was that before or after they wanted to take you to a strip club?" I asked in a knowing tone.

"Um," Shane cleared his throat. "After?"

"Good. Including your brother means anywhere you go, there can't be an 18 or older rule. Remember that." I warned. They'd decided to just bar hop for the night.

"I know. I know." He assured me. "You have Nicky with you, so remember your own words."

"Unfortunately, she does." Nicky pouted coming back into the room. "We're going to the house and having _fun_ there for the night."

"Are you coming home tonight?" Shane asked almost worriedly. I smiled at the word home.

Smiling brightly at him, I answered, "Yeah, I'll be home."

"I mean, here… the apartment." He stuttered slightly.

I walked over to him. "Yes, Shane, I'll be _home_." I reiterated, kissing him lightly.

He smiled. "Good."

Riley cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I should be going. Um, are you guys meeting at the first bar or here or something?" He asked.

"Here." Shane answered. "Shit, I have to go get Kevin from the train station." I rolled my eyes. He may have seemed really calm and laid back about the wedding, but I could tell he wasn't. It was in slight, subtle things. He would swear occasionally, he fidgeted ever so slightly, and he was constantly making sure I was near him as much as possible.

He kissed me and ran out of the apartment. Riley chuckled and followed behind him, kissing Nicky's cheek in the process. That was all she'd give him. He sighed as he waved good-bye to me.

"Nicky." I said tiredly. "Why are you doing this to that poor boy? What is still bothering you?"

"A lot." She answered simply.

"Like?" She shrugged. "Well, when you figure it out, let me know. Okay? I don't mean to lecture you. I can shut up and listen, I promise." I smiled at her slightly. "I'm going to take a shower. We're probably going to head over to the house when I'm done."

She nodded and retreated to Nate's room. I sighed watching her go. She could be so stubborn sometimes. All for her pride. Not even the principle of the matter or because it needed time to get the point across. No simply because she was scared and her pride was keeping itself from getting hurt.

I had half a mind to curl my hair, but decided to leave it straight instead. Shane was going to have enough problems at the wedding. It wouldn't be fair to tease him tonight as well. Although, he had admitted he liked my hair straight on a daily basis. Curly was strictly to be used only on special occasions when he could '_ravish' _me afterward. I wasn't going to be that mean today. I did however have to curl my bangs under. I wasn't sure if I liked the side swept bangs better than my old straight across ones, but they definitely made me look older. That was something I was thankful for. It made me feel less like an insecure teenager getting married way too young and more like a mature young woman marrying the man of her dreams.

I smiled to myself as I finished my hair. I heard Kevin and Shane laughing as I left the bathroom and headed into the bedroom. While I was getting dressed, Nate and Jason showed up as well. The others were meeting Nicky and I at the house.

Satisfied with my appearance, I left the room. Nicky was waiting anxiously, I assume hoping to leave before Riley showed up. I smiled sadly to myself.

"Be good. Have fun. And remember, none of you are 21 either." I reminded them. They pouted but nodded anyway. I kissed Shane once on the lips and kissed the others' cheeks. "Have fun." I called again as I left with Nicky.

By the time we got to the house, most of the people were there already. I was greeted by Peggy, Ella, and Lola, followed by my cousin Steph and the others I'd invited. I was happy to see Nicole there and we hugged for a long time. Jayden was sitting in a corner observing.

I made my way over to her. "I _hope_ you know you aren't just here as a reporter, Jay." I asked her. She smiled at me.

"No, I know. I was threatened by Cait and Stas." She replied. "I was just getting a general feel for everything before I lose myself in the party." She admitted. No 'adults' were there, though Mom was in the kitchen making us snacks and such.

My party was a lot of harmless fun. Mostly. We sat around playing games. They insisted I opened my presents before though. I received various forms of lingerie and a few… interesting gifts I won't mention.

The first game we played caused a few raised eyebrows and a tad bit of tension. I Never is _not_ a game to play with people you don't want to share you deepest secrets with. Especially when these people are experienced players. However, we changed the rules. Instead of doing shots, we were playing for points, and the winner won a prize picked by Caitlyn and Anastasia. They would be the ones keeping score.

"Okay, we will begin with something easy, so anyone who doesn't know the rules can pick up on it." Anastasia said. "I never… dated a rock star." She smirked. Some of my family gave us confused looks, all well aware of the fact that we were dating Connect 3. "They aren't _rock_ stars. They're _pop_ stars." They rolled their eyes while Caitlyn, Nicky, and I giggled.

"Okay, Mitchie. You start us for real." Caitlyn said through her laughter.

"Okay, I never… was a cheerleader." I said, knowing my cousin was. Steph, Nicole, and Caitlyn flipped the empty cups we were using to signal taking a shot, since we weren't drinking. "What?" I laughed disbelieving. "You were a cheerleader?" I asked Caitlyn.

She nodded, blushing slightly. "When I was like… 7. My mom made me." She glared at the wall for a moment. "Okay, my turn. I never… broke a bone?"

The game kept going with random questions until it eventually turned… interesting. The questions started taking on a much more… perverse tone.

"I never… kissed a girl." Lola said. Steph was the only one to flip her cup.

"What?" She asked. "I was drunk…" She mumbled.

"I never…slept with a guy." Peggy sighed, trying to think of something to change the subject.

When Steph, Caitlyn, Nicky -who was blushing-, and a few others flipped there cups, I wasn't surprised. However, Caitlyn called Anastasia and me out. "Excuse you, you two. You have _slept_ with a guy. She didn't say had sex."

We rolled our eyes and were surprised to see that everyone had slipped their cups, even Peggy. "It wasn't what I meant, Cait." She shrugged.

"Okay, well, I never had sex." I said reiterating the question. The original people flipped their cups and the game moved on. If I recall correctly, Nicole won.

We moved on from I Never to Truth or Dare, once I Never was getting a little too catty for my taste.

"Mitchie, truth or dare?"

"Truth." I said immediately. "I'm not doing anything that I might regret right before my wedding."

"Fine. Hmm… what was the first thing about Shane that attracted you to him?"

I thought for a moment. "I heard him playing. And it was different than the usual stuff I'd heard of his. He seemed like totally pissed that I heard him and then he _apologized_ for it not being his usual cookie-cutter-popstar-stuff. Seeing him all riled up and protective of his music. I think I first _realized_ I was attracted to him when we first went out on the canoe, though." A chorus of aws followed. "Okay, Steph, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" She cried out like I was crazy.

"I dare you… to… um… mix your soda with a lot of salt and chug." It was silly and inane, but she did and it was hilarious when she started coughing on it. Had she really choked, we wouldn't have been laughing, but thankfully she didn't.

We were getting a bit bored again, so someone dared Jayden to interrupt the bachelor party. Since it wasn't against the rules, I had no power over it. I rolled my eyes and let them.

"Well… that was a no on Shane's phone…" Anastasia said, dialing the next number for Jayden. After a few rings, another voicemail was given. "And for Nate. Jase, you so better answer." She said dialing the next one.

"Nope." Jayden handed the phone back. I was getting worried.

"Try Kev." Nicky suggested, dialing her brothers number.

"Hello?" A slightly drunk sounding Kevin answered. The call had been on speaker phone.

"Hey, Kevin? It's Jayden."

"Who?" He slurred.

I took the phone and took it off of speaker phone. "Kevin where are you?"

"Mitchie?" He asked. "At the apartment… duh…" He laughed.

"Kevin, where's Shane?"

"Um…" He thought. "Somewhere?" He offered.

"I'll see you in a little bit, Kevin." I gritted my teeth while hanging up. "Sorry to cut this short, but there's underage drinking occurring in my apartment and I have a fiancé to find and kill." I huffed, slipping on my shoes. "Stas." I called out to her, needing a ride. She stood up and was quickly followed by Caitlyn and Nicky.

When I arrived at the apartment, I could hear the music blasting through the walls into the hallway. My anger steadily increased. I pushed open the door and was immediately submersed in the smell of alcohol. The first person I saw was Kevin, dancing with some girl who was _not_ Savannah.

"Kevin!" I yelled, though over the music it probably didn't sound too threatening.

"Mitchie!" He said, throwing his arm around me. "Why are you here?"

"Where's Shane?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "Um… Nate!" He pushed me toward Nate, before Nate could escape.

Nate was very afraid to see his girlfriend and her friends glaring at him angrily. "Where's Shane? And why are all these people in the apartment?"

"I have no idea and I have no idea." Nate answered.

"Find Jason, and get them out. Now. You have underage drinking going on, Nate. You of all people should know the backlash of this." I glared at him. Reality sunk in and he rushed off to find Jason. I tried calling Shane again, and found his phone on the dresser in our room.

"Nate!" I yelled.

He came rushing in. "What?"

"Where is my dog?" I demanded.

"With Shane." I let out a shaky breath.

"Okay." I felt my heart beat decrease when I realized my dog was fine and with his owner.

Almost 2 hours later, Nate, Jason, and the girls had left, taking Nicky and Kevin back to the house for me. Shane and I were in for a long night of arguing when he got back. I'd finished cleaning up the mess and sat waiting for his return, letting my anger stew.

It was almost 3 AM when he came home. "Where've you been?" I demanded when he came in.

He looked around, amazed that it was clean. "Out." He answered simply.

"Shane, do you have any idea what I came home to?" I asked. He stayed silent. "_Drunk_ teenagers and twenty-year olds. _None _of them legally able to drink. Strippers and other exotic _dancers_ shoved in here as well. And you just _left_. You knew I was coming home tonight. And I'm glad we called and no one answered. Who knows what I would have came home to if I left later."

He didn't say anything, still, but his fist was clenching and unclenching, trying to keep his anger down. "Where's Nicky and Kevin?" He asked.

"Oh, now you care about your brother. Who you left _here_, where he proceeded to get drunk and dance with some stripper who was not Savannah-" Shane opened his mouth. "His girlfriend, Shane!" I replied. "That's not the point, anyway. You left your 16 year old brother here."

"Nate and Jason could have kept an eye on him. They knew I was leaving."

"Except Nate and Jason were trying to host their party and enjoying themselves as well." I sighed. "Shane, why would you just leave?"

"Sorry for taking our dog out of the apartment when he started going crazy. And when some ass tried to give him beer." My anger spiked.

"Maybe you should have ended the party, then, Shane! Not leave and wait for your fiancé to call your drunk brother and come back early and end it."

"I wasn't going to ruin everyone else's night because I wasn't enjoy my party. I left. I _thought_ Nate and Jason could handle it." He admitted.

"No, I had to ruin mine instead." I threw back. "And clearly, they couldn't. Not one of you was thinking clearly on this one at all. Shane, you should have put an end to it as soon as you realized there was alcohol. And that people who were underage drinking. I warned you about having Kevin with you!"

"It was easier said then done. Girls can go out and have a little hang out, not guys. That's not a bachelor's party."

"Bullshit." I replied. "We played drinking games, and guess what, we didn't drink! We improvised. What would have happened if one of our neighbors complained, Shane? Then what? Now, you have Connect 3 hosting wild underage parties with your 16 year old brother present, and you nowhere to be found!"

"Okay, so I fucked up. Forgive me. I'm not fucking perfect, Mitchie!" And finally, Shane cracked.

"What?" I stopped yelling. "What do you mean? Who ever said you were?"

"No one." He said, calming down a lot. "I just, try to be. For you." He admitted.

"Shane." I sighed. I moved closer to him. "I don't want you to be perfect. But, seriously. Think about this."

"I know. I was wrong. I'm sorry." I nodded. "Lesson learned. Promise."

I sighed. "Okay. Let's go to bed. I have my final fitting tomorrow." I said smiling slightly.

"They got it done?" He asked excitedly.

"Yup. They called Caitlyn during the party and left her a message."

"Why did they call Cait?" He asked.

"Because I told them to call her. I was still too on edge from the first dress. So when the dress was absolutely finished, they were to call Caitlyn and tell her."

"Oh." He nodded as we got ready for bed. Jacob was already knocked out in his bed on the floor. He'd gotten too big to be on the bed with us.

When I woke up the next morning, I was cuddled into Shane's chest. He was whispering in my ear, though he thought I was still asleep. "Mitchie…" He blew in my ear. "Wake up, baby. I want to tell you something. Wake up, please? Ba-by." He whined slightly. I finally smiled.

"What?" I mumbled against his chest.

"I love you." He whispered.

I groaned. "Is that really why you woke me up?" I asked, with my eyes still closed.

"No. I wanted to apologize for last night, again." I sighed.

"It's fine. Go back to sleep. I have to be up by 10. If it's not 9:30 yet, don't wake me up." I snuggled closer to him. He kissed the top of my head and let me drift back to sleep.

My wedding was in 4 days and I could _not_ be anymore excited than I was after trying my dress on for the final time before wearing it on my wedding day.

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Okay, now I'm posting this when I so should be outside on my way to the movies!


	20. Chapter 20: The Wedding Part I

Dun, dun, dada, dun, dun, dada… Here comes the chapter…

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Chapter 20: The Wedding Part I

The night before the wedding was one of the hardest nights of my life. I don't mean because of the many things that had to be done or any unexpected drama. No, saying good-night to Shane that night was the hardest thing I'd had to do in a long time. I had no idea how I was going to handle saying good-bye to him when he left for the tour.

Shane and I stood on the front porch of his parents' house. I had my face buried into his neck and my arms locked tightly around his shoulders. His arms were wrapped securely around my waist, holding me as close as possible. Our legs were tangled and it was hard to identify what belong to who at that point.

"I don't want you to go." I mumbled, _again_.

"I know, baby. It's tradition." He mumbled back, _again_.

"Screw tradition." I whined, _again_.

"No." He laughed, _again_. This was the fifth time we'd had this conversation in the last 24 hours. Each time I begged, and each time he said no. "I don't want to jinx anything." He explained, _again_.

"Why are you being superstitious?" I asked for the first time instead of arguing. I pulled my head away from his shoulder to watch him as he answered.

"When my marriage is at stake, I'm not taking any chances." He spoke seriously. "I'm not risking anything causing this to go wrong."

I smiled at him. "Fine." I relented playfully. "I love you." I said softly.

"I love you, too, baby. Now, go." He nudged me toward the door. I kissed him one last time and slipped back into the house. I heard his engine rev a few moments later. Shane was staying at a hotel with the guys for the night, while the girls and I would be staying at the Grey house. This was to ensure that we wouldn't see each other until I walked down the aisle.

I smiled goofily as I leaned against the door. The others came to find me and stopped seeing me smiling the way I was.

"What the heck?" Nicky asked giving me an odd look. "You okay there, Mitchie?"

"I'm amazingly perfect. I'm getting married!" I quietly yelled. I spun around in a circle. "I can't believe it's really happening." I sighed happily. "I mean, I _never_ thought I'd be getting married at _18_ to a _pop star_! Life is so… _unpredictable_." I was skipping around the house happily.

"Mitchie, did you drink or something? Take any drugs?" Caitlyn asked, confused by my actions. In all honesty, they were expecting a last minute freak out, not a rendition of the Wizard of Oz with all the skipping.

"No!" I laughed but stopped my skipping. "I'm just… incredibly _happy_." I replied.

"Wow. I want to be that happy!" Anastasia pouted.

"Just wait. You all will be. Hopefully with my boys." I smiled at them. I started spinning in circles again.

"What makes you so sure?" Caitlyn asked.

"Because… when you get married… you'll be… like… I don't know. I just do." I laughed and skipped into the kitchen. They laughed and followed, though not skipping. "Mommy! Mommy 2!"

Mom and Mrs. Grey looked at me oddly. "You alright, Mitchie?"

"Absolutely perfect!" I smiled.

"Is this… normal?" Nicky asked. They nodded.

"I was like that the night before my wedding, too." Mom said.

"So was I!" Mrs. Grey laughed. "Poor Benny kept looking at my mother, saying 'Sara, is she okay? Is she supposed to be like that? Should we call a doctor?'"

"Benny?" Caitlyn and Anastasia asked, while I asked "Sara?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes at herself. "Benny is my brother, Brown. He wasn't known as Brown until he started touring in high school. And Sara is my mother, but Benny's step mother. His mother lived in England. He spent his summers and winter break here with our father. We were quite close for half-siblings." She explained.

"I always wondered that." I said, referring to Mrs. Grey's lack of accent and Brown's ever present one.

"I always thought he was more Australian than English…" Caitlyn commented.

Mrs. Grey laughed. "He is."

"What?" We all asked, now really confused.

"Amber was born and raised in Australia and is Australian by birth. She moved to England for college, met my father, had Benny, returned to Australia for a few years, then decided that England was closer to America. Of course, that was after my father married my mother and said he wanted to have more time with Benny. That just because he was starting a new life didn't mean he would forget the one he already had. Amber would come visit with him occasionally. My mother and her got along very well, since there wasn't much other than friendship that ever transpired besides sex between my father and her. She was like a second mother at times. You should all know that blood doesn't always make a family."

"Yeah." We all said smiling at each other. "You learn something knew everyday." I said cheekily.

"Okay, girls, off to bed. I don't care if 3 of you are over 18. We want you to be bright eyed and beautiful tomorrow. We have to be at the salon at by 7." Mom shooed us out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

"Cait?" I whispered from my side of Shane's bed. She mumbled something but turned to look at me. "Do you think everything is going to be fine?"

She smiled, now more awake. "Absolutely. You two manage to overcome everything you've ever dealt with. And if you meant the wedding specifically, well, yeah. And if it's not, oh well. It'll be like graduation. It'll work out in the end. Remember?"

"I'm going to kill you if it rains tomorrow." I threatened playfully.

She laughed. "Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck."

"Except my reception is outside, Cait." I reminded her.

"Oh, right." She laughed a bit more. "Oh well."

"Thanks, Cait." I said softly, before falling asleep with thoughts of Shane and my wedding filling my head.

At exactly 6 am the following morning, the alarm went off, wakening all of us. I heard various other alarms go off with a three minute span through out the relatively silent house. We all sleepily got up and began getting dressed. I pulled on a tank top I'd gotten at my bachelorette party, reading 'Bride' across the front in studded diamonds. Caitlyn laughed as I pulled on Shane's sweat pants with it.

Everyone was getting really into the wedding, and all had personalized shirts stating their position: Maid of Honor, Mother of the Bride/Groom, Bridesmaid. We didn't actually have a flower girl or a ring bearer, though.

"Girls! Let's go!" Mrs. Grey yelled up the stairs. We all filed down the stairs, mostly in sweat pants. Caitlyn, Nicky, and Anastasia piled into Anastasia's car, while I went in Mrs. Grey's with Mom.

Mom kept looking back at me. "What's up, Mom?"

"It seems like just yesterday you were my little baby who was afraid of boys. Now you're getting married." She sighed.

Mrs. Grey smiled. "You've come a long way from the 16 year old I met 2 years ago." She added. I smiled, biting my lip. "I can't believe my baby grew up so much in 2 years," She sighed. "I never saw him in a serious relationship, much less getting married."

"Yeah." I agreed.

When we pulled up at the salon, Jayden and a photographer were waiting. I was a tad confused, since Jayden had been doing all of the photography so far. As if reading my mind, she explained. "There's going to be too much going on for me to take pictures and take notes."

"Oh. Okay, well, we have to go in and get all beautified for the wedding." I giggled.

Caitlyn stage whispered to Jayden, "She's loosing her mind. She's _way_ too happy."

"I'm just excited." I pouted playfully as we entered.

"I need the maid of honor, here." The main stylist said pointing to a seat. "The bridesmaids, here. Mothers over here. And lastly, the bride right here." As I sat down, he said he'd be right back and went over to the other stylists. "She's going to have a bump in front of the headband, and then criss crossing twists pulled up into a pony with curls cascading out." I assumed he was talking about Anastasia. "This one's hair is going to be side parted flat and pinned with the headband in the front, and her natural curls in the back. The same for this one, except her curls are going to be pinned to the sides of her face in the front." He spoke of Nicky and Caitlyn respectively. Mom and Mrs. Grey were fairly easy to be done.

"Now, you, Mrs. Grey-to-be, we are going to pin the top of you up in twists, and then curl you, correct?" I smiled and nodded. "Good. Now, the hair will take the longest on your since we have to do twists _and_ curl this beautifully straight mane of yours. The nail artist will most likely do your nails while I finish your hair. Then we'll do all of the make-up and you'll be beautiful." He paused. "Well, _more_ beautiful." I chuckled as he began my hair.

I saw the girls hair in the mirror occasionally, but didn't really get a good look until we were all finished. My nails were done while my hair was finished, and then my make-up. We decided on simple French manicures for our nails, since none of us usually wore professionally done nails. My make-up was soft yet smoky around my eyes. A creamy gold eye shadow laid beneath a shimmery gray liner. The girls were similar, with a soft, almost white, green instead of the gold. Our lips were tainted in brighter tones of our natural lip colors.

"And, _done_." The stylist stepped back to admire his work as Jayden's photographer took a few final pictures. He'd been taking pictures through out and I could only imagine at the time what they looked like. I know we were all making faces at him.

When I finally saw the girls, they all looked amazing. Their hair was all done how it was supposed and how each of them had wanted. The head bands weren't on yet, as they might have looked a bit weird as we were walking around, but a small plastic headband that would hide under the real one kept the hairstyles in place instead.

The photograph took a few pictures of us together, smiling and laughing together before Mom and Mrs. Grey ushered us out of the salon again. By now it was eleven o'clock and we had to begin getting ready for my 2 o'clock wedding.

We headed to the church, where I would be getting ready. I was alone as I slipped on my wedding dress, zipping it up about halfway, unable to do the rest.

"Oh my…" Mom's voice trailed off as she came into the room. I was standing in my wedding dress, simply staring at my reflection. It fit me perfectly, better than the first one had. "You look amazing." She gushed.

I smiled at her. "Thanks. I'm not even done yet. Could you zip me the rest of the way?" She smiled and did so for me.

She didn't say much else as she helped me put on my shoes. The girls all came in a moment later. "Here." Anastasia handed me my missing garter. I slipped it up my leg having initially forgotten it. Shane was going to have a heart attack by the end of the night, I was sure. "Something blue." I giggled.

Reaching over me, Anastasia took my bracelet off of my wrist, and Caitlyn slipped her charm bracelet from Jason off of her wrist and placed it into my hand. She smiled saying, "Something borrowed." I smiled back.

"Something old?" Nicky asked looking toward my mother.

I smiled as Mom spoke softly, "Veil time." I nodded, looking straight ahead as Mom placed her veil on my head. It would cover my face before the wedding while the back hung to about the middle of my back. The bottom edge was tapered in a beautiful lace design. The once white veil now had a slightly aged tint to it, but matched the dress amazingly.

"Wow." They all gasped.

I smiled at myself. I did look amazing. The way every bride should feel she looks on her wedding day. Teasingly, I commented, "What? Nothing new?"

As I said this, Mrs. Grey came into the room. "That's where I come in." She said handing me flat square box. "A gift from Shane." She explained.

I read the tiny note attached to the box. _Dear Mitchie, I thought you could use a new necklace for today. I hope you like it. It's has that old look you have going, but it's new, too. Like our love. It will last forever but constantly be changing and growing while keeping true. I'll be seeing you in a little while since you weren't being given this until you were almost done getting dressed. All my love, Shane._

I smiled and pulled up the box. I gasped as I looked over the gorgeous necklace he'd given me. It was a pearl necklace with gold quatrefoil accents, with the largest in the center holding a larger pearl dangling from it. Small stones sat in tiny clusters in the heart of the quatrefoils, which were being separated by single pearls.

I was on the verge of crying and Mom must have noticed. "No, no crying yet." She said taking the necklace from my hands. She brushed my hair out of her way and clasped the necklace around my neck. I smiled at how perfectly it completed me that day.

It was when I finally looked at my girls head on, that I realized they were all wearing matching pearl chokers. I shook my head, thinking of how wonderful my husband and friends were.

A few moments later, Dad knocked on the door. "Girls, we're getting ready to line up when you're ready." The girls all smiled at me, hugging me individually and made their way out. Mrs. Grey hugged me and followed them as well.

"I love you." Mom said hugging me the longest.

"I love you, too." I whispered as we pulled apart. Dad came in as Mom left.

"Hey, baby girl." He said softly.

"Hi, Daddy." I smiled brightly.

"You ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be." I admitted nervously.

"Mitchie, no father ever wants to see his baby grow up and get married and leave him behind. But when it does happen, they want to make sure that their baby is going to be happy and loved and taken care of. I know Shane will be able to do all of that for you."

"Daddy." I cried, hugging him tightly, careful not to actually cry. He hugged me tightly.

"I love you, Mitchie. And you can always come to us if you need help. I know you probably won't, but if you do. Just know that we are always there for you. Always."

"I love you, too, Dad." I said happily.

Dad stepped back and offered me his arm. I smiled and we made our way out of the room, and to the back of the line, waiting for the music to begin.

I looked over my bridesmaids and smiled, seeing their yellow rose bouquets which matched my white roses. Nate and Jason stood with our mothers, their top hats in place, just as I wanted. I wasn't visible to anyone yet, but I could see out into the church. My eyes swept over the beautiful white sashes decorating the pews with bunches of sunflowers tied to the bows. My eyes rested on the front of the church, though. Shane was standing nervously at the alter with Kevin standing next to him. We had decided that it would be best for the bridesmaids to enter alone, since two thirds of the bridal party were dating and they wouldn't be align correctly. They would all remain standing by the alter until I reached Shane. Then we would all be seated during the mass.

The music started and everyone moved to the now closed doors except for my father and I. The doors opened and Jason escorted Mrs. Grey while Nate escorted Mom to their seats before taking their own places at the alter. Jason stood beside Kevin with Nate bringing up the rear of the groomsmen.

Next, Nicky walked down the aisle. I watched her head turn ever so slightly to the right. When her eyes most likely met Riley's, her head snapped forward again. I smiled sadly, still upset that Nicky was denying them both of what they truly wanted. But, this was my wedding and I wasn't going to let sad thoughts upset me.

After Nicky was Anastasia. I watched Jason's eyes light up as he saw her. She took her place next to Nicky, one step higher on the alter, across from Jason. Lastly, Caitlyn made her way down. Nate seemed to be lost in his own world as he watched her. I had a feeling he was imagining her in a wedding gown and not a bridesmaid's dress.

The doors closed again and the music changed. I bit my lip nervously as Dad and I waited for the door to open once more. Once they did, I saw everyone standing, awaiting my arrival. I took one last calming breath and stepped off with my father. When my eyes locked with Shane's all of my nerves disappeared. I smiled brightly at him.

When I reached the steps, my father presented me to the pastor. "Who gives this bride away?" He asked.

"Her mother and I." My father said smiling happily. He lifted my veil and kissed my cheek. Shane took my hand from my father and smiled the biggest smile I'd ever seen from him. "You look amazing." He mouthed to me as the pastor spoke.

"You may be seated." Pastor Jonas addressed the entire church. Shane and I were separated again until it was time for our vows.

When it was finally time for us to be married, Pastor Jonas brought us to the alter. "Shane, Michaela." Shane chuckled as I clutched his hand tightly instead of grimacing at my name. "Michaela, Shane requested that you read your vows first."

I glared at him slightly. "Jerk." I mouthed to him. "Shane," I began, "Time seems to have no way of binding us. The two years we've known each other have felt like a lifetime already. And I'm ready to live a real lifetime with you. Through everything that comes our way. Whether it be tours or serious problems. I promise to take you, Shane Adam Grey, as my husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from now until eternity for even death cannot stop our love." The beauty of being a singer? You can remember your vows without having to read them.

Shane smiled at me. "Mitchie, people believe you changed me and in a way, you did. Though you just showed me who I used to be. You've given me back so many things I'd lost along the way. I owe you so much. With you to ground me, I won't ever be the person you first met, ever again. I want to give you everything in this world I can. I don't think I can ever give you as much as you've given me. I want you to be happy. I never want you to want. I want to love you until long after I am gone. Without you, there is no me, and nothing in this world can make me as happy as you do. I take you, Michaela Theresa Torres, as my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from now until Kingdom come." I blinked away my tears at his words. He wasn't lying when he said he ruined his vows. But they still meant just as much.

"Are there any present who object to this marriage?" When no one spoke up, he smiled and looked at Shane. "Shane, do you take Michaela Theresa, to be your lawfully wedded wife, for ever more until death do you part?" He smiled, holding my hand tightly.

"I do." He said grinning.

"Michaela, do you take Shane Adam to be your lawfully wedded husband, for ever more until death do you part?"

I nodded excitedly. "I do."

"The rings?" The pastor asked. Kevin and Caitlyn handed over the rings. "Shane, repeat after me. With this ring,"

"With this ring," Shane said, holding the ring at the tip of my finger.

"I thee wed."

Slipping the ring the rest onto my finger, Shane finished, "I thee wed."

"Michaela, repeat after me. With this ring,"

Nervously, I placed Shane's ring onto his finger. "With this ring,"

"I thee wed."

I smiled. "I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me by our holy father, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride." Shane wasted no time in kissing me. That kiss rivaled our first kiss, perhaps tying for best kiss of my life. "Dearly gathered, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Shane Grey."

We smiled happily as we walked back down the aisle together. Caitlyn and Nate, Jason and Anastasia, and Nicky and Kevin followed us quickly.

I was officially Mrs. Shane Grey.

* * *

Part II will be up as soon as I write. This took Allison and I quite a bit of time and research and without her, this would have been all sorts of screwed up. Lol. Oh, and Mitchie's necklace is linked in my profile. Thanks to Allison.


	21. Chapter 21: The Wedding Part II

I'm glad you all liked the wedding. Yes, it was anti-dramatic, as is this one, but seriously. Come on, they go through so much. I wanted a purely fluffy wedding. And, here is how Bree has decided to address the whole wedding night issue. I know there are many of you who want a nice, smutty chapter, and then there are those of you who appreciate the fact that I don't delve into too much detail with the sexualness. So, to compromise, since I also don't want to change the rating for one chapter, I've decided to make the _chapter_ PG-13. Meaning, you'll get up to the sex part and stop. However, I did say compromise- so, there will be a 'one-shot' of the wedding night in all its NC-17 goodness. I'm 18 I can write it! Admittedly, I'd write it either way. But shh. So, when you see an alert for Director's Cut: The Wedding Night, you will know what that is. If you do not want to read smut, don't read that. You won't miss anything because the chapters are going to be written simultaneously to ensure nothing important occurs in DCTWN and not LKG. And I'm glad you all liked the Pastor Jonas part. I thought it fit quite nicely myself.

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Chapter 21: The Wedding Part II

We stood at the front of the church, greeting everyone as they left.

"Mitchie!" I heard a small squeal and was engulfed in a huge hug.

"Oh my god, Sierra!" I hugged her back tightly. "You're here!" I cried.

"My boss convinced me to come home. He paid for me to fly home and to fly back again." She explained. "I can't believe you're married!"

"I can't believe you're here!" I noticed the look my mother was giving me. "We'll talk more at the reception." I smiled. She nodded and kept going.

There were many people to greet leaving the church, but finally, everyone was outside and the bridal party made their way out as well. The doors opened once more and Shane and I made our way out to the limo, running through rice and bubbles and whatever else people were throwing. The other four followed quickly and we headed off to the reception. Nicky and Kevin were going to come with their parents, leaving the six of us for a few alone moments.

"Now, Mitchie, aren't you glad you didn't get married after Prom?" Jason asked, obvious to the fact that Nate didn't know.

"What?!" Nate yelled. "You were going to get married after Prom? That's where you two went? You were going to let them get married? What is wrong with you?" Nate yelled at Shane and I, and then Jason and Anastasia. "And why weren't we included?" Now, he was pouting.

I laughed. "Because I knew you'd have a heart attack." I explained. "It was spur of the moment. I'm sorry, Nate. But Jason made me come to my senses. It wasn't Shane's fault, at all."

Anastasia added, "He just didn't have the guts to tell her no."

"Tell me Jason or Nate would tell you two no if you said lets go get married _right now_." Shane argued, glancing between Caitlyn and Anastasia. Jason and Nate's stuttering faces made that point clear.

"Awwww, we're dating wimps." Anastasia cooed, pinching Jason's cheek.

Caitlyn nodded, snuggling into Nate's arms. "Whatever." Nate argued, looking down at her. "Soon enough." He promised softly, kissing the side of her head. I smiled softly, my happiness brimming to overload proportions. Caitlyn was just looking up at him like he was insane. "What?" He asked.

"Are you serious?" She asked still completely shocked.

He looked at her oddly. "Why wouldn't I be? You already have my purity ring." He said.

"So you're going to marry me because you have to?" Caitlyn glared at him.

"No!" Nate said, pulling her close to him again. We were all trying our best not to start laughing at the typical Nate and Caitlyn moment. "I mean, I love you that much to give that to you. I know we've already… had sex… but that was because we're that in love. God, I sound like an idiot, don't I?" He glanced over at the rest of us. Anastasia and I had to keep Shane and Jason from nodding.

"No, I get it." Caitlyn said. "I need to stop jumping to conclusions when you say stupid things." Nate blushed. "Just don't propose like that. Or I'm so saying no." She threatened.

"Don't worry, Cait, we won't let him." Shane promised, smirking at Nate, who was now glaring at him.

"Anyway." Nate changed the subject. "Jason, isn't there something you wanted to do?"

He jumped a little, "Oh, right!" He began looking around the limo. I glanced at Caitlyn, who didn't know what was going on either. Neither did Anastasia. When Jason pulled two small boxes from a side compartment, we looked even more confused. He handed one to Caitlyn and one to myself. I felt bad since he didn't hand his own girlfriend one, but I opened the box anyway. Caitlyn and I squealed together.

"New charms!" Jason hadn't bought us new charms since he gave us the bracelets. We each had an A charm, and I received a small engagement ring looking charm for my wedding. "Thanks, Jase!" We couldn't really hug him due to our confined space in the limo. We switched charms with one another and placed them on the appropriate bracelets.

I smiled sadly as Anastasia looked out of place. "Wait, why did we get A's?" I asked. Shane and Nate smirked.

"Because…" Shane started.

"We thought it was about time…" Nate continued.

"To give Stas her own charm bracelet." Shane finished as Nate handed her a box. She gasped as she opened the box.

"We got sick of waiting for Jason to give it to her, and then we realized that he wouldn't, because he gave the girls the charm bracelets to show that they weren't just his best friend's girlfriends, but they were special to him as well. It wouldn't make sense for him to give it to her. So, we decided, _we would_." Shane explained.

Just like our bracelets, Anastasia's had a 3 hanging from it along with the heart and our initials: a C, N, S, and M. Instead of something musically inspired, a old fashioned quilpen was added since Anastasia was majoring in English. The heart was engraved with a J and an S, though.

"Wait, why do we have A's and you have an S?" I asked.

"Because Cait would have two S's." Jason explained.

We didn't have time to ask for more of an explanation because we pulled up at the reception hall. When we all exited the limo, Shane held me back. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He didn't answer me, instead he kissed me senseless. "Nothing's wrong." He panted as we separated. "I just haven't had you alone since last night." He explained.

"Well, just think, we have tonight, and tomorrow night, and the next 11 nights alone in the Greek seaside." I reminded him before kissing him again.

He groaned against my lips. "Did you finish packing for school?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yup. We get back on the 26th, I move in on the 28th."

"And I leave on the 29th." He sighed.

"Let's not think about that, right now. Let's think about the fact that we just got _married_." I quietly squealed.

He smiled and kissed me again. A few minutes later, Anastasia stuck her head back into the limo. "Uh, bride and groom, we kinda need you for pictures." She teased.

"Fine." Shane sighed, climbing out after her. He stuck his hand back in to help me out. "Milady." He said bowing playfully.

"Why thank you, kind Knight." I teased.

We finally made it over to the photographer, to see Jayden and her photographer there as well. The photographer took the standard pictures that were needed. Jayden's photographer, however, wanted to take fun pictures, so once the real pictures were done, we goofed off for the other pictures.

There were pictures of us 'modeling', there were pictures of us laughing, there were pictures of the guys holding me up. There were even pictures of the girls in the top hates while the guys wore their headbands. Except for Shane. Shane had my veil on.

"Okay, give the bride her veil back, and we'll get ready to announce the happy couple." Jayden said after the MC came out find us. I peeked around the corner and saw my reception. It was beautiful. The garden was completely covered in grass, except for the stone pathways. The tables were literally on the grass, though the chairs were on the stones. Evidentially, the garden had been designed specifically for receptions and such. Aside from the beautiful flowers mixing all around them, the tables were covered in light green table clothes, with large vases of sunflowers in the center. Golden yellow napkins were placed at the place settings. Our head table sat at the opposite end of the entrance. Riley and Savannah would be joining us at the table, making it longer than originally expected. It looked gorgeous.

"You ready?" Shane whispered in my ear as we lined up behind our bridal party. I nodded excitedly.

"Presenting the bridal party." The MC announced, "Our youngest bridesmaid, Miss Nicole Grey." Nicole walked in alone, though up until the _break_ Riley was going to be escorting her in. I told her she had to deal with sitting next to him at the reception, though. "Our first lovely pair, bridesmaid Anastasia Dragomir and groomsman Jason Bishop." Jason and Anastasia walked in together, and headed to where Nicky stood behind the table. "And our second lovely pair, Maid of Honor Caitlyn Gellar and groomsman Nathaniel Frances." Caitlyn and Nate smiled as they entered. "And lastly, our Best Man, Kevin Grey escorted by Miss Savannah Connors." Savannah blushed deeply while Kevin walked her to the head table.

I turned to Shane. "There, she was part of our wedding, now you have to remember her name." I teased.

"Which is?" He asked sheepishly.

I groaned. "Savannah. It's really not that hard!"

"And now, presenting for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Shane Grey!" That always confused me, since technically the pastor presented us, but we went with it and entered. "And they will now share their first dance to the original version of Shane's song _Gotta Find You_. Which he wrote _for_ Mitchie two years ago."

I smiled as Shane's voice filled the garden. As much as I loved hearing the song acoustically, the rest of the instruments made it sound equally lovely. He twirled me around the dance floor, laughing and smiling happily. He was singing softly in my ear, along with the music playing. As the song came to an end, he whispered in my ear, "You've no idea how happy I am that I found you."

I looked up at him and kissed him. Cheers came from around us. We had to go around and greet everyone, _again_, and thank them for coming _again_. Seriously, I'm never getting married ever again.

We were seated, and waiting for dinner to come out when Kevin stood up. Well, more like Anastasia pushed him up, but close enough.

"So, my brother is the loud one and my sister is the outspoken one, so I'm going to try my best to give a good speech." Kevin stuttered slightly at first. I'm sure you're thinking, wait, isn't he in the drama program at his high school? Well, he's the Student Assistant Director. He's not up on stage. "I've known my brother my whole life, obviously. He's always been there for me, and he's got an amazing heart. Mitchie, you have married one of the greatest guys out there. And I know Nicky and I didn't give you the greatest 'Welcome to the family' when we first met, but hopefully, we've made up for it since then. I've never seen my brother happier and you've been an amazing older sister to Nicky and I. You listen to us, and I must say you give great advice. We're happy to have you officially be part of our family. Congrats." He raised his glass and we all took a drink.

"That was great, Kev." I assured him as he sat back down.

"My turn!" Caitlyn stood up, Nate's arm slipping down her body from its position around her waist. "So, I've been with the two of you from the beginning. I've seen your ups and I've seen your downs. Mitchie, you're like my sister. And Shane, you are one of my best friends in the world. I can honestly say this day has taken entirely too long. From the first time I heard Mitchie going on and on about Shane, I knew she was in love. And watching him watch her while performing, I knew he liked her back. But the heartbroken look on his face at Beach Jam told everyone that he was just as much in love. You both have been there for so much in the last 2 years of my life and I hope I share many more with two of the greatest people in the world who deserve each other more than anyone else in the world. To Shane and Mitchie." She raised her glass once more and we all took another drink.

"Dude! Lemon chicken!" Jason said giddily as dinner was placed in front of him. We all smiled and chuckled as he began to eat.

When the food came, the MC came out with a _treat_ for everyone. "Well, while you enjoy your food, we thought we'd show you something. Enjoy the slide show." On the screens that were set up next to the DJ a slide show of pictures of Shane and I began. The first picture was Shane as a baby. He was cute. Then there was a picture of me as baby. Not so cute, at least in my opinion. Pictures of Shane with the twins when they were born and pictures of everyone growing up showed. A picture of the boys standing with Brown at Camp Rock their last summer came up followed by one of the boys first photo shoot pictures. A picture of me on my first day of Camp Rock showed as well. A few pictures from Camp Rock, which were taken unbeknownst to us, came up. The last Camp Rock picture showed us on stage singing together.

After that, there were random pictures of us together between Camp Rock and the tour, including the pictures from our interview. Then there were a lot of random fun pictures of us from the tour, including the picture of the six of us sleeping, that until that point I hadn't seen. Pictures of us with Jacob filtered in here and there as well. My birthday and/or our engagement showed followed by the pictures from Prom. Lastly, there were a few pictures of us from the wedding itself. I was utterly surprised to see those.

"That was amazing. I want that picture from the tour." I pouted. "When did that happen?" The others shrugged. "You were a cute baby." I told Shane.

"So were you." He replied.

I shook my head no. "I was all chubby and stuff."

"So, you were still cute." He argued. I rolled my eyes at him.

"If our kids look like you did, I will be super happy." I replied. "You looked so adorably with curly hair." Shane groaned. "Whatever." I pushed him slightly. He caught my hand and pulled me into an amazing kiss.

"Let's dance." He said. I nodded and allowed him to pull me out of my chair. Others joined us on the dance floor as well. I watched Riley ask Nicky, who uncertainly said yes. Next to Shane and I, Nate and Caitlyn were dancing, Caitlyn's head, resting his shoulder and his hands on her hips, dangerously close to her rear. Jason was twirling Anastasia around energetically, and she was laughing joyfully. Kevin and Savannah were still at the table, talking quietly and intimately, neither being big dancers. My parents and the Greys were dancing as were Sierra and Craig. What really shocked me was seeing Brown dip Dee in the middle of a song. They were such an odd pair and both denied anything going on between them, but seriously, there was some chemistry there.

When my eyes landed on Riley and Nicky again, I saw them locked in pretty serious kiss. You could see Riley was throwing everything he had into, and by the looks of it, so was Nicky. When they parted, Riley quickly pulled Nicky outside of the garden for some privacy.

"Where is he taking my sister?" Shane demanded.

"Don't worry about them. Worry about your wife." I scolded him playfully. He leaned down and kissed me again. "I like your style of worry." I teased.

He grinned. "I hope so. Do you think they're going to get back together?" He asked, nodding in the general direction of his sister.

"I hope so." I sighed. "She's so blind. She's killing them both for no reason."

"You did, too." He reminded.

I sighed. "Yeah," I admitted. Grinning I continued, "But I realized what I was losing and I haven't let it go since."

"Maybe that's what she needs." He said softly.

"Maybe." I agreed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He smiled, once more kissing me.

I laughed quietly to myself as Nate's hands slipped to Caitlyn's butt, pulling her even closer to him. "Nathaniel Adam Frances!" I heard Mrs. Frances gasp from next to us. I giggled as his mother scolded him for the inappropriate placement of his hands.

"Adam?" Anastasia said, looking at me in confusion wile Mrs. Frances lectured Nate. "I thought Adam was Shane's middle name."

I shrugged. "It is. Wait, that's kinda weird." Shane just smirked and said nothing.

We partied long into the night, but eventually had to leave. We climbed into the limo with all of our family and friends wishing us well. In the morning we'd be getting on a plane to Greece. But first? First came our wedding night.

* * *

Now, Bree is going back to listening to the new JB CD and working on the new chapter(s).


	22. Chapter 22: The Wedding Night PG13

Sadly, for those of you choosing to not read the NC-17 version, this is a bit shorter. Warning, there _is_ some detail in here, but not too much and not too graphic. I had something I wanted to tell you, not that I can for the life of me remember it. Oh well. Enjoy the wedding night. Lol. And remember the NC-17 version is entitled Director's Cut: The Wedding Night.

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Chapter 22:

The moment we were in our limo, heading for our hotel for the night, my senses were on over drive. I was overpowered by the smell of Shane's cologne mixing with his normal scent. I could hear his labored breathing as he tried his best not to take me right then in the back of the limo. The sound mixed with my own heavy breathing as anticipation ran through my body. I nearly fainted when I looked into his darkened eyes. They were almost black with pure lust swimming through the irises, unlike earlier when they were shining brightly with love. I knew my own probably looked quite similar. I almost fainted when I felt his hand brush across my arm, reaching for my own. His touch was intoxicating. But not nearly as intoxicating as his _taste_. My mouth was literally watering at the memory of his taste.

I was on the brink of saying 'screw it' and having my way with him right then. Thankfully, the limo pulled up outside of the hotel. Shane climbed out first. I took a few shaky breaths and reached out to grasp his offered hand. I allowed him to pull me out and chuckled shakily as his hand gripped mine tightly. The driver took our bags out of the trunk and a bell boy placed them on a cart. Shane quickly checked us in as quickly as possible.

That was the longest elevator ride of my life. Everything in the limo seemed to intensify. Shane's hand gripped mine so tightly, I was fearing it would break. I didn't really feel the pain, though. My nerves when on edge to begin with. The ding of the elevator startled both of us. From the time we'd left the reception, not a word had transpired between us.

We walked as fast as we could to our door. Shane had to swipe the keycard 3 times before we were able to get into the room. The bellboy awkwardly pushed the cart into our room, unloading and leaving as quickly as possible. I'd left Shane's side to look out on our balcony. As soon as the door closed, I heard Shane make his way over to me.

My body tingled in anticipation as he wrapped his arms around me. "Cold?" He asked, pressing his lips against my bare shoulder.

I smiled and turned around in his arms. "Why? Are you going to warm me up?" I asked with a single eyebrow raised. I tried to sound normal, but it came out rather breathlessly.

He smirked down at me and kissed me softly. My hands were resting on his chest as his toyed with my zipper. Surprisingly, our kiss remained fairly soft. My head was telling me to go change into my _wedding night_ outfit, but my body was telling me to start stripping. My heart, though, was telling me to stay just as I was, relishing the taste of my _husband_.

Eventually, his mouth left mine, trailing down my neck. "No marks, tonight." I breathed out. I felt him smirk as he bite my neck ever so lightly. Enough to get his point across without leaving evidence.

"No need, tonight. That's how I released the tension when I wanted to have my way with you." He whispered hoarsely in my ear, his hot breath swirling around it. I moaned out loud at his admission. He was getting me more and more turned on by the second.

"You must have… a lot… of tension…" I said between breaths as my heart beat wildly in my chest. His lips were on my ear, gently tugging on the fleshy part. Once, his tongue darted out and licked the shell of my ear. I shivered and moaned. "Shane…" I moaned his name, dropping my head onto his shoulder.

He kissed my exposed neck and shoulders once more before stepping away from me. I pouted but took his offered hand as he brought me back into the room. We didn't bother with a suite. We pretty much just wanted a bed, as wrong as that may seem.

He moved behind me to close the door, chuckling as he had to move quite a bit of my train in as well. He threw the excess to the side of me, wrapping his arms around me from behind again. I leaned back into him, sighing contently. He kissed the top of my head.

"I love you, Mitchie. With my entire heart and soul." He whispered, his lips still pressed into my hair.

"I love you, too, Shane. More than you will ever truly know." I titled my head back, awaiting a kiss. He happily obliged. I pulled back. "Unzip me, Husband." I said playfully, moving my hair to one side.

I shivered as his fingers trailed down my spine from the base of my neck to the edge of my dress. He slowly dragged the zipper down. Unlike the last time, I didn't hold my dress to my chest as he unzipped me. I let the dress fall and pool around my feet. I was standing with my back to my husband clad only in high heels and tiny white underwear.

I heard him suck in breath and groan. I felt confident and stepped out of my dress, turning to face him. His eyes drank in my appearance, his hands reaching out and running up and down my sides. He had abandoned his jacket when we came in, so I pulled on his tie, loosening it more than it already was. I dropped the accessory to the floor and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Before I could remove his boxers, he pushed me into the bed, causing me to sit on the edge. He dropped to his knees and began taking my heels off of my feet. I giggled at him as he kissed the inside of each of my ankles before standing back up.

Why weren't we going at it already? Well… we'd waited this long, a few minutes wouldn't kill us. We were taking our time and making this the greatest memory ever.

He grabbed my hands hauling me upward toward his awaiting arms. As soon as my arms locked around his neck for support, he ran his hands down my back, over my rear, and grasped my thighs lifting me up to wrap my legs around his waist. I groaned feeling him pressed against my lower half.

"Shane…" I moaned in his ear, followed by whimpering. I was so turned on it was getting painful. I felt our bodies dip as he knelt on the bed with one knee, quickly followed by the other. He laid me back on the bed and just stared at me. I grew self conscious and attempted to cover my exposed chest.

"No." He gently pried my hands away from my body. "Don't hide." He kissed my hands before placing them above my head. My legs were still wrapped tightly around his waist. "You haven't been this shy in so long. What's wrong?" He asked frowning ever so slightly, looking only at my face.

I bit my lip, and looked away before looking back up. "I don't know. I just… I'm trying to process that this is really happening."

He trailed a finger down my jaw. "Of course this is real. We're _really_ married, and we're _really_ allowed to do this." He smiled softly at me. He bit the edge of his lip ever so slightly and looked down at me. "If you're not ready… it's fine. Just because we're married…"

"Shane!" I gasped, interrupting him. "Of course I'm ready…" I said softly. "I'm just… scared… I don't know… what if it's not what you were expecting. I mean, of the two of us, you're the one with ex-"

"Stop," He command cutting me off. His face was serious and his eyes were narrowed. "That was 5 years ago… and a mistake. Don't _ever_ compare yourself to her. You are a million times better and I _never_ want to hear you doubt yourself over me again." He kissed me gently and whispered against my lips. "I love you. And that's more than enough to make it better than anything I could ever imagine."

I melted at that moment. I grabbed the back of his neck, keeping him tight to me as I kissed him with all of the passion I could. All of the anticipation that had been building returned and I found myself drowning in it.

I'll spare you the details of what occurred next. However, when both our bodies stopped convulsing around the other's, he collapsed on top of me for a moment. I didn't care much, enjoying the feeling of our bodies touching so closely. He rolled on to his side a moment later, pulling me with him so we faced one another.

"That was…" He spoke breathlessly, trying to find the words.

"So worth the wait." I supplied equally out of breath. "Ugh… I feel gross." I complained, feeling the stickiness between my legs.

He chuckled. "You want to go take a shower?" He asked.

I shrugged, perfectly content in his arms, but feeling gross. "Maybe. Are you coming with me?"

"Didn't I tell you, you aren't showering alone once we get married?" He teased. I smiled at him and untangled myself. I made my way into the bathroom first, turning the water on. Shane came into the bathroom as I was stepping into the shower with our toiletries. He groaned appreciatively. "You've no idea how much I like being married."

"Gee, glad to know you married me because you love me." I pouted looking at him over my shoulder. He quickly stepped into the shower behind me and wrapped his around me.

He bit my shoulder softly. "You know I love you." He replied. "Seeing you naked is just a bonus." I felt my self getting aroused again, and so was Shane.

I moaned. "Shane… I want to get clean…" I pouted.

He turned me in his arms and backed me up until I was under the spraying water. His eyes roamed over my body as water ran down it. Satisfied with what he saw they returned to my face. A small gasp slipped out of my mouth as Shane began washing my body. I relaxed and let him do whatever it was he was doing. Once he finished washing my body, he turned me around and began unpinning my hair. As the curls all fell out around my shoulders Shane groaned again.

"Are you clean enough?" He asked hoarsely pulling my body flush against his. I nodded and he captured my lips in a passionate kiss. Soon I found myself pressed against the wall of the shower as Shane had his way with me again.

As we caught our breath afterward, I pushed Shane's wet and slippery chest. "Out. I need to take a real shower and I can't do that with you jumping me every chance you get." He pouted but retreated anyway. I bit my lip while watching him walk away from me. He wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom. Of course, not before winking at me over his shoulder.

Once I was able to shower alone, I was done fairly quickly. I exited the bathroom in a small towel, drying my hair as I walked. Shane was sitting on the floor in front of the bed, watching TV. "Why are you on the floor? And why is it so cold in here?" I asked, shivering slightly as I spoke.

Shane looked over at the balcony door and saw it was raining slightly and that the door was cracked open. The curtain was still open as well. "I guess I didn't close the door all the way before." He shrugged, getting up to do so. "And I'm on the floor because I had to change the sheets on the bed, but I'm waiting for room service to bring up new ones."

"What was the point if we're probably going to just have sex again anyway?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Shane sent me a pointed look and then looked at the bundle of sheets laying on the floor. A red stain seeped through parts of them. "Oh. Right. Forgot about that." I bit my lip in embarrassment.

He chuckled. "Relax." He kissed my forehead. "I love you." He whispered.

"Love you, too. Go wash your hair." I commanded. He rolled his eyes but did so anyway. I answered the door for room service, blushing profusely as I handed the poor young man the bag with the sheets. He was going to make the bed when I insisted I would.

"We'll do it." I heard Shane almost growl from the bathroom doorway. He came over and wrapped his arm around me, glaring at the guy while taking the sheets out of his hands. "Thanks." I handed the guy a tip and closed the door.

"What was that?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

He glared at me slightly. "What was with answering the door in a towel?" He growled possessively.

"Like I knew it was going to be a guy." I scoffed. "You get jealous too easily, baby." I said placing my hands on his chest.

His eyes softened. "I don't like sharing you." He whined slightly as he wrapped his arms around me. I kissed him slowly. "Seriously," He started as he pulled back slowly. "What was with answering the door in a towel? It could have not been room service and some stupid reporter."

I rolled my eyes. "Because I was waiting for the sheets or for you to get out of the bathroom." I explained, walking past him.

"Why?" I grabbed my small bag for tonight and headed into the bathroom. "Mitchie?" He called out after me as I disappeared into the bathroom.

"Just make the bed." I called back. When I peeked out of the door a few minutes later, Shane was laying on the bed, most likely naked, with the blankets around his waist, watching TV again. I leaned against the doorframe with one arm above my head. "Hey, Pop Star." I said, catching his attention.

He glanced over at me and then snapped his head back to look at me again. I giggled. "What the… damn." He stuttered as he took in my appearance. The white baby doll my mother bought me for tonight fit me perfectly and showed just enough to entice my husband. "Come here, now." He demanded softly, his eyes darkening.

I smiled and walked toward him slowly. I straddled him on the bed, the sheets still separating us. "You called?" I asked running my hand through his curls.

"Mmhmm." He mumbled softly as he pulled me down into a sweet kiss.

That time alone we memorized each others bodies. Though we took our time the first time, there was still an edge to it, forcing us to move quicker than we'd have liked. There wasn't much time given to teasing and foreplay. This time, though, we spend a long time just touching one another. We didn't speed up at all and kept it slow and steady, drawing it out as long as possible. After that we spent the rest of the night in each others' arms talking softly, too tired to move yet too excited to sleep.

I woke up the next morning with Shane's arms wrapped tightly around my naked waist, his head resting against mine on my shoulder. I could feel every inch of his front pressing against my back. "Baby." He whispered in my ear. "We have to get up."

"Mmm. Why? I like it like this." I snuggled back against him more.

He groaned. "Because we have to catch our flight to Greece." He said softly.

"Fine." I said, pushing him off of me. I heard him groan again as I moved into the bathroom, not bothering to cover myself. "Call Mom and see how Jake is?"

"Mitchie, he'll be fine." Shane assured me. "And what are you doing?" He asked following me into the bathroom.

"Taking a shower." I said as if it were obvious, while turning on the shower.

"You took one last night." He complained, digging out his straightener from the bag I'd left in there.

"And now I smell like sex again." I reasoned stepping in. I could feel him rolling his eyes as he pulled on fresh boxers.

3 hours later we were boarding a plane to Greece.

* * *

I also now have 4 different labels in m CR folder. I have ACTR for the ACTR chapters, LKG for the LKG chapters, DC- for the Director's Cut scenes, which, when I write them, will be Caitlyn and others POV on scenes I wanted to add but couldn't, and FS- for Future scenes that haven't been fit into the story yet, but I thought of them and wrote them before I lost them. Gah.


	23. Chapter 23

I'm glad you all liked the DC version, and those of you who didn't read it, I'm glad you appreciated the split. Anywho, Shane is a whore. Haha. Not really. Well, a little. Anyway, I now have a blog -which is my homepage link in my profile- to keep ya'll up-to-date with all of the ATCR-LKG-AINE stuff. Yes, be confused. All of the stuff that would normally be in my profile for this story is now on there, since most of my profile was stuff for this story. By the way, I need a series name for these, cause obviously 11 letters is too much to write and remember. So, suggestions? Thanks.

And Angie-Ange was our 1500 reviewer! Yay. We've officially -okay it was awhile ago, but whatev- surpassed ATCR. Thanks guys, you rock. I love you all. And a special thanks -as always- to SourSkittles, my dear Allison. Yes I own her! Haha, not really. Anyway, she helped me, as always, with this chapter. I tried writing a song, again. We'll see what ya'll think of it.

* * *

Chapter 23:

Did you know that my husband has the inability to sit still for too long? We were only in the air for an hour before he became completely bored. Of course, this was after the exhausting experience through the airport. Someone found out we were going to Greece and the paparazzi and fans were swarming the security gate for the terminal. Thankfully, we were in first class and the last ones on the flight.

"Mitchie, I'm bored." Shane complained.

I rolled my eyes, personally exhausted. "Go to sleep." I groaned, leaning against him. "I'm exhausted between last night-" He smirked, "and all of the paparazzi between the hotel and the airport. I want to sleep."

He pouted. "Fine. Sleep."

I rolled my eyes again. "Well, what would you like to do since you are _so_ bored?" I asked. His eyes light up and he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Shane!" I yelled, smacking his arm. A few people around us gave us weird looks. I whispered back, "I am _not_ having sex with you on a plane."

He pouted again. "Why not?" He whined. "Don't want to join the mile high club?" He asked cheekily.

"Not particularly, _no_." I replied.

"Mit-chie." He whined.

"If your so bored, why don't you go join the mile high club on your own?" I asked sarcastically.

He smirked and leaned down to whisper again. "I'd rather you join me." He was trying to be seductive, and succeeding.

"No." I replied firmly. "That concept is disgusting. Who knows what's in there." I shivered in disgust. He looked rather dejected, though. I leaned up to whisper in his ear. "But, I promise someday we can do it if you have your own plane." I watched as his entire body tensed.

"How 'bout the Lava jet?" He asked with a raised eye brow.

I shrugged. "Maybe. Can I go to sleep now?" He rolled his eyes, but let me sleep anyway.

When I woke up a few hours later, I was resting completely against Shane's side, with his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders and back. His head was resting against mine and I could hear him humming and occasionally singing softly. I laid there for almost 15 minutes without him realizing I was awake.

"I had you for the first time tonight…" He hummed. "Everything just felt so right… Would've waited for forever if I had to… Just to have you for one night." He paused. "Couldn't have picked a better moment, Couldn't have picked a better time. Everything is perfect with you by my side. I'm gonna keep you there forever, And always hold you through the night. Never leave me here alone without you, cause I don't know how long I'd last." He stopped again.

"Finish it." I said softly, my eyes still closed. I must have startled him, because he jumped slightly.

"I'm still working on it. I'll probably forget it, anyway." I sat up suddenly, pulling out my song book. Shane gave me an odd look, not aware that I'd been writing songs again. I noticed most people were asleep at that point, except for us.

"When did you start writing again?" He asked softly, taking in the numerous pages I'd already used.

I shrugged. "I never stopped. I just, was lacking inspiration." I watched his face fall. "I would write to get out frustration. Those are all of the songs I've written since Nate gave that to me on our first Christmas." I pointed to the pile of 15 or so songs. That's in 2 and half years. "Life isn't that horrible or confusing. I'm not, trying to find myself or stand out."

He pouted. "I don't inspire you?" He asked.

"Oh, you _inspire _me." I replied. "Who do you think inspired most of those? I'm not good at love songs, Shane. It's not my style." I shrugged.

He nodded. "Are you gonna write as I sing?" He asked, pointing towards the book.

"Yeah. You'll have to remember the melody yourself, though, since we don't have a guitar on hand."

He looked away a bit. "We'll add the music after we land."

I groaned. "You brought your guitar?"

"How can I serenade my beautiful wife if I don't have my guitar?" He asked cupping my cheek with his hand.

I sighed, nuzzling his hand slightly. "You were doing just fine before."

"Yeah, but… anyway, where did I stop?" He changed the subject back to the song.

"Never leave me here alone without you, cause I don't know how long I'd last." I said reading off the paper I'd copied the lyrics onto. "Was that the chorus?"

He nodded. "Okay, hmm." He thought for a few minutes while I started doodling a melody above the lyrics. It would definitely get rewritten, but it was a jumping point. "Never saw anything more beautiful…Not even one of God's angels... Tonight, they can't compare to you. You have my world in a lull." He stopped. "Hmm. Write down the chorus again." I did as he said. I looked at him as he thought. "I've waited for you for so long… And I couldn't have pick a more perfect angel." He paused once more. "Say your mine for more than just tonight… um, cause everything's perfect with you here… Stay with me forever, and let me hold you through the nights." He nodded to himself, satisfied with the song so far.

"I like it." I smiled.

"Only like? I don't like when you _like _songs about you."

I don't know why I was surprised, but I was. "That's about me?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, it's about my _other_ wife." I smiled softly. "Seriously, only like?" He pouted.

"I love it. You compared me to an angel." I said, still in disbelief.

"You are an angel." He replied.

I scoffed. "A fallen angel."

"That's the best kind." He smirked slightly. "Either way, you're my angel."

"You are such a fluff ball." I giggled, pushing him slightly.

"I thought the phrase was a 'cheese ball'?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Not a huge fan of cheese. I happen to _love_ fluff, though."

He smiled at me. "That mean you love me?"

"Absolutely." I smiled.

"Ya know, you haven't helped me write a song in a while." He commented softly. "Not since we wrote the songs for Play My Music."

"You haven't written songs since then." I said shrugging. He shook his head and pulled out a thick five subject notebook from his own carry-on. I knew it was his song book. He wrote scraps of songs in one section, working songs in another and final copies in the last one. The other two were extra space for the working songs and scraps. He'd realized composition notebooks just weren't good for him.

He wordlessly handed it to me. I read the cover, _April 2010._ This was his newest book. I smiled at the picture of us on the inside of the cover. The first section and half of the second were covered in random lines. Some were from other songs that he liked and were inspiring. Others were two or three lines he'd thought of. His notebook was always like this, so that wasn't surprising.

I flipped to the third section to find a lot of songs in the working stages. The last section was filled with finished lyrics. He started using the back pages of the section in front of it.

"There has to be…. 50 plus songs in here, Shane." I commented, skimming through them.

He nodded. "Yup. About that. 56 last time I counted."

"Since April?" I asked.

He nodded again. "The first song in there is from when I decided to propose. _Asked her daddy today if I could, take her away and make her mine_…" He sang the lines to me. "They aren't all love songs. There's a song in there about one morning with Jason. That was funny." I smiled as I flipped through the songs. I paused on a song called _Sunrise_.

"What's this one about?" I asked.

He looked at the song. "Our first date." He smiled. "Nah, that morning. When we were all sitting there watching the sunrise. Surprisingly upbeat." He commented. I scanned the lyrics.

"_You may be beautiful but sun don't spoil my fun? _That's upbeat?" I teased.

"Yeah. The song is about hanging out and having fun, but the rising sun is bring reality that the night's almost over, and it's back to daily life. _I'm gonna hang on until that last ray shines above, Party like tomorrow hasn't yet begun._ It's living in the moment." He explained.

"Ah. I see. That for the new album?" I asked, seeing a small smiley face next to the title.

"It's a possibility." He conceded. "We haven't even thought about the new album yet."

I smiled and kept looking. "Jersey Girl?" I asked.

"_Ain't nothing in world, like my Jersey girl_."He sang softly.

"You're such a dork." I laughed.

"Yeah, well. Being a dork makes me a living." He shrugged. "Can I see your songs, now?" He almost begged.

Uncertainly, I handed him the book. I watched him frown reading over the words. "None of these are happy, baby." He commented, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand.

"I know. You'll have to help me write some happier ones." I said. "You are by far better at getting the happy emotions out than I am."

"So, objectives for my honeymoon: one, please my wife until she can't see, walk, talk or think straight; two, get her to write a _happy_ song; three, convince her to record it."

"Do I have to?" I asked.

He pouted. "I never hear you singing anymore. Honestly? I'm worried about you."

I sighed. "I know. I don't know. I've been… off… lately."

"You've been off since we started dating." He mumbled.

"What?" I asked, alarmed. "What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "It seems like everyday, I'm losing part of the Mitchie I fell in love with."

"Shane… I don't… I don't know what to say to that."

"Don't. I just, I'm worried that you're loosing touch with your music. And that scares me."

"You think I'm depressed." I said softly.

He shrugged. "You didn't have a dark day this year."

"So? I've found closure with that." I snapped slightly.

He sighed. "Baby, I'm just worried. Don't get mad at me." He said softly, but firmly.

"Stop ruining our honeymoon." I snapped again.

He sighed even deeper, and I felt myself sigh as well. He shifted in his seat to look at me head on. "I'm sorry. You're right. Not the time and place for this conversation."

"I'm sorry." I said softly. "I don't know what my problem is. I just… want to enjoy this. We can argue over the phone when you're in Europe." I gave him a half smile.

He groaned, leaning his head back against the seat. "Don't reminded that I'm not going to be with you for that long."

"You have me now. Enjoy it." I said sagely.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "You won't let me." He smirked.

I smacked him. "I told you, I'm not having sex on a commercial airplane." I hissed.

"See. I can't _enjoy_ you." He said looking at me fully.

I rolled my eyes. "Jerk." I pouted.

"I'm sorry." He laughed, and was clearly _not_ sorry. He wrapped his arm around me again. "We still have like, 5 hours or something. Go to sleep." He kissed my hair. "I need you well rested when we get to our house."

"If you weren't so good, I'd hit you again." I smirked, closing my eyes.

"Oh really?" He asked, but I was already half away asleep.

When I woke up again, Shane was asleep with his head resting against mine. I just smiled and went back to sleep.

A while later, an annoying voice was speaking, waking me up. "Mr. Grey, we're landing soon."

Shane mumbled in response and dropped his head onto my shoulder, snuggling in as close as possible. I opened an eye and saw the source glaring at me.

"Can I help you?" I asked groggily.

"We're landing soon." She snapped slightly.

"Thank you." I replied with a fake smile as she turned to the another passenger. "Shane…" I whispered in his ear, running my fingers through his hair. "Baby, get up."

"Nuh uh." Shane groaned burying his face deeper into my shoulder.

"Come on, Pop star. Get up. You can't enjoy me if you stay asleep on the plane while I'm in Greece." He shot straight up.

"Ow." He cried, not realizing I'd had my fingers in his hair when he did that. He pulled his own hair.

"Oh, sorry." I kissed his pout away. "We're landing soon." I told him rubbing the part of his head that got pulled.

"I heard. She had an annoying voice." He mumbled. "It screeched worse than our alarm clock."

"Excuse me, _your_ alarm clock." I reminded him. "My alarm clock is my computer." I pouted. I hadn't had my same morning routine since I moved in with him.

"Yeah, well, you and Cait can go back to blasting music and dancing around in the mornings when you go to school." He smiled, kissing my temple.

"I don't see _why_ you don't enjoy that." I continued to pout.

He smirked. "Because if I watch you dancing around in your underwear every morning, we'll never leave our bedroom."

"Did getting married turn you into a giant perv?" I laughed.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Actually, yeah." He teased. "I can have bad thoughts and not suffer from them."

"I can still make you suffer." I threatened playfully. A sudden bout of turbulence interrupted our conversation as I gripped his hand tightly.

"Are you serious?" He asked with his face in pure disbelief. "We hit worse turbulence flying home from tour."

"I was a bit preoccupied on that trip." I glared. He just laughed and began rubbing my knee.

We landed a little while later and made our way off of the plane. After gathering all of our stuff off of the baggage claim, we found our limo outside. Shane, of course, couldn't sit still.

"Shane, chill." I scolded playfully.

"But, baby…" He whined. "I'm anxious." He pouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you ever satisfied?" I asked.

He shook his head no. "I have a beautiful wife who turns me on just by smiling at me."

Deciding to ruin the moment, I teased him. "Man, you're easy."

"Hey!" He objected. I giggled at him. "That wasn't nice."

I shrugged. "So?" I kissed him lightly, but he quickly took control of this kiss, deepening it. Somehow we ended up making out in the back of the limo. Shane's hand slide up under my shirt and I shivered. "I'm not having sex in the back of the limo, either." I warned him.

He groaned. "Fine."

By the time we arrived at the little seaside villa we were staying at, Shane was… aggravated. I was quite serious about not having sex in the back of the limo. My husband is a whore. Insert smiley face.

"Come on." He urged me as the limo driver began bringing our bags into the main entrance. I rolled my eyes and let him drag me. We were trying to locate the bedroom but ended up in the kitchen instead. As soon as Shane heard the front door close, he pressed me into the kitchen counter.

"Shane…" I warned, but he ignored me. Let's leave it at… I didn't do much cooking in that kitchen in the forty minutes we spent in there.

After _another_ originally unneeded shower, I found Shane in the bedroom. He was on the small balcony over looking the seaside. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, burying the side of my face in his back. "It's beautiful here." I commented as I looked out.

"Yeah. Greece was a good choice, huh?" He said looking back at me over his shoulder.

"We are definitely going out to look around." I said. Shane made a small whimpering noise like Jacob would. "I don't care. I want to. And you sound as pitiful as our dog, doing that."

"But you usually give in to him when he does." Shane argued.

"You aren't as cute. I just can't resist that cute, little, curly pup."

"If I go take a shower will you give in?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe." I laughed as he ran back into the house. He came back a moment later and kissed me in a slow lingering kiss.

"Love you." He whispered and ran back into the house.

I smiled a sad smile to myself. I was going to miss him when we got back from our honeymoon.

* * *

And Bree has found her officially favorite look of Joe Jonas. In Living the Dream when he's talking, with the beanie and the curly/wavy hair… ahh. And its not exactly wavy, cause _my_ hair is wavy, like borderline curly, and his is curlier. But it's not, like tight curls like Kevin and Nick. Either way, its TMN. (Inside joke.)


	24. Chapter 24

You guys lucked out. I was supposed to leave at 3 to head to my brother's house, and I tried to get the chapter done before then -and I did- but I wasn't going to have time to post it, but because I'm hitching a ride with my other brother, I'm now not leaving until like 4:30. So, be happy. I'm not particullary in love with this chapter. I find it a bit awkward in places, but I couldn't really fix it. I started it last night and short of rewriting the whole chapter, I couldn't really do much. But, I'm leaving soon, so…

* * *

Chapter 24:

I was laying in bed with Shane, cuddled into his chest while he played with my hair. He had called a local translator service who in turn called and ordered us food. When we heard the front door, we began bickering.

"Baby, can you get that?" He asked, trying to be sweet.

"You're the man, you do it." I pouted.

"I don't want to answer the door with my hair curly." He pouted back.

I rolled my eyes. "But I'm tired. _Someone_'s worn me out."

"Please?" He begged. I sighed and threw the sheets off. He groaned as I slipped on his shirt.

"Where did you leave the Euros?" I asked. He mumbled something about his pocket. I couldn't find them and yelled at Shane to find them while I got the door.

I finally answered the door and found an attractive young Grecian. He said hello in Greek, though I have no idea what he actually said.

"My husband is finding our money." I tried to explain, gesturing inside with a small apologetic smile.

He smiled. "I don't…" He paused, thinking. "Speak English."

I smiled back. "I don't speak Greek."

Shane came out a moment later, money in hand. "I definitely should have gotten a smaller villa." He said shaking his head. "I got lost."

I smiled. I noticed his eyes darken a bit as he saw the delivery guy staring at my legs. I rolled my eyes, but he behaved, mostly.

"Thank you." He handed the guy the Euros and closed the door after taking the food. "You." He pointed at me with a bag of food in hand. "Stop answering doors half dressed." He commanded.

My mouth fell open in shock. "You _did not_ just say that."

"Every time you do, there's some guy checking you out at the door."

"Oh there is not." I pushed past him, trying to find the kitchen again.

He scoffed. "Yes, there is. Every time we order food and you answer the door, there's a guy. And they _always_ check you out." He argued.

"Shocking. Every time _you_ answer the door, there's a guy. Hmm. What a strange coincidence." I said sarcastically as I managed to find the dining room instead. Shane followed, still arguing.

"They don't check me out." He replied. I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of this conversation.

"I'd hope not. That would make ever delivery guy out there gay. The lonely girls need someone to hit on them on Friday nights when they order food all alone." I began taking food out of the bags.

"You're missing the point." He sighed aggravated.

I rolled my eyes, _again_. "That's because there is no _point_."

"You have no idea how many people stare at you on a daily basis do you?" He asked frustrated.

"I wasn't aware I walk around half dressed on a daily basis." I said simply.

"I'm not even talking about that. I mean, in general. Mitchie, guys are _always_ staring at you." Shane insisted.

I scoffed. "They are not. I'm not _that_ pretty, Shane."

"Yes, you are. You have… _amazing_… legs. So, you don't have a huge chest, but not every guy is attracted to huge, fake breasts… and your smile… it's… what?" He stopped talking when he realized I was glaring at him slightly.

"Thanks for the confidence boost." I said stabbing my food.

"What?" He asked, generally confused. Why are guys so dense sometimes?

"'So, you don't have a huge chest'. Gee, as if I weren't self conscious enough about that." I pouted.

"Why are you? Do you really want a huge chest that guys can't stop staring at and never take you seriously because of? And it's not exactly small… they're bigger than Stas'. I mean, Cait's are bigger but-"

"Please tell me you did _not_ just compare my boobs to Stas and Cait's?" His face took on an 'oh crap' look and he started moving his mouth. Nothing was coming out of it though. "Do I even _want_ to know when that conversation took place?" I asked, knowing that the guys had to have had this as a group discussion.

"Back on tour." He mumbled.

I shrieked. "What? When?" I demanded.

"Um, that day we were all running around trying to get dressed in ten minutes all at once. Nate kinda saw yours… and I saw Stas'… and Jason saw Cait's…"

I think my face paled slightly while a blush began to form. "Are you serious?" I squeaked.

"Yeah…" He said slowly.

"And you guys never told us?" I asked.

He seemed alarmed. "_Why_ would we _tell_ you we saw your chests? You would have killed us. And it would have been _awkward_ as all hell."

"Wait, question. _How_ did you see them? We didn't change our bras that day." I asked confused.

Shane smirked. "_Well_, Cait leaned over and Jason got a nice view down her bra. You weren't wearing a bra, because you just left your undershirt… thing… on. And Stas had on a lacey push up."

"Do I want to know why you remember that?" I glared.

"Believe me, I'd have much rather seen Cait's. Stas is like my sister." He cringed slightly. "But, it doesn't matter. You should have seen us bickering. We all thought our girl's were the best."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. You've got the perfect amount for me. I swear." Shane replied honestly. "Enough for me to enjoy without me having to worry about guys staring at them."

"Way too many weird awkward conversations today." I decided. He smiled.

"How about we finish eating and go for a walk?" He suggested.

I smiled. "I'd like that. Do something _other_ than have sex," I teased him.

He half smiled back as he stood up to throw away the empty containers. "Forgive me for basically having been in a permanent state of arousal since we've started dating."

"So you _did_ just marry me to get laid." I teased standing up as well. He grabbed me from behind and held me to him.

"_Must_ you keep twisting my words?" He asked pouting. "You just… excite me with the smallest things."

"I have to tell Cait that." I said, thinking aloud.

"Um, why?" He asked as he let me go.

"What?" I asked having been lost in thought.

"Why do you have to tell Caitlyn that the smallest things you do excite me?"

"Because she thought that there was this… physical… pull between her and Nate and that was it. But if I've had you horny since day one…" I trailed off letting him fill in his own blanks. I don't think he expected me to say that either.

"How about that walk?" He asked quickly pulling me out the back door.

"Should we leave a trail or something? And do you have the key?" I asked as he pulled me down a path.

"Only if it's made of clothes and yes. I do." He replied. I giggled and let him lead me through the beautiful Grecian landscape.

The land was beautiful. We stood on a hill mountain thing, overlooking the water as the sun set. Shane was standing behind me with his arms wrapped around me.

"I love it here." I decided, leaning back against him.

He nodded his agreement. "Then we'll have to come back next year, too." He thought for a moment. "Every year, if you want."

"What about when we have kids? Can't leave them for two weeks while we go on a romantic getaway." I pointed out.

"So, we'll bring them with us." He shrugged. "You're thinking about kids already?" He asked. "Thought you were against having them until you were out of school."

I groaned. "How are we supposed to come on a vacation like this every year if I have to pay for college?"

I heard him sigh and could practically feel him roll his eyes. "Mitchie, you are married to a well known recording artist. We don't have a house yet, we probably won't any time soon. I can afford to send you to college, and if we had to, I have an excellent credit score. Getting a loan wouldn't be a problem. Stop worrying about college."

"I don't want you paying for school." I argued, turning around in his arms. "I didn't marry you for your money, Shane."

"Baby," he said laughing slightly. "You've been using my money since day one." He smiled brightly. "And I don't care. You don't ask for it. I give it to you."

"I have-" I started.

"Cell phone?" He interrupted.

I smacked his arm lightly. "That was you. What was I supposed to do? Say no Shane, I don't want your very generous gift so we can keep in touch 24-7?"

He shrugged, smiling slightly. "You could have. You just wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to you."

"No, I was just fearing for Nate and Jason's safety. Who knows what you would have done without me?" I teased.

"Gone absolutely insane." He admitted, kissing me gently.

"Mmmm. I love when you do that." I smiled.

"Do what?" He asked confused.

"Kiss me like that." I knew I had a dreamy sound in my voice.

He smiled widely. "Well, I'll just have to make a habit of doing it then." He laughed softly before kissing me again.

I shivered. "Let's head back." I suggested, moving out of his arms. I didn't get very far. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me tightly to him.

"You cold?" He asked, honestly concerned. I nodded. "Come on, then."

We did actually spend a lot of time outside of our bedroom on our honeymoon, surprisingly. Shane seemed satisfied after the first day. He was still always up for it, but he wasn't begging endlessly.

One night we were laying in bed, cuddling -yes, we cuddle a lot and Shane loves it. "You never answered my question." Shane said softly.

I made an odd noise. "What question?"

"From the other day." He said, as if I should remember it. At my blank stare, he explained. "When you mentioned kids. Are you thinking about them?"

"In the future." I admitted. "Not anytime soon. Although," I paused. "If I weren't on the pill, we'd so be having a honeymoon baby. Since, ya know, _someone_ refuses to use protection."

He smiled. "_Someone_ wants to enjoy his wife."

"And you can't do that and not get me pregnant?" I asked sitting up slightly.

"I could. But it's not the same." He sat up as well. "I don't know… the concept of '_protection_' always made it seem like… you're doing something you shouldn't be. Something you'd regret. If you're having sex, you should be willing and ready to be starting a family if God says it's time for you to." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. It's a weird theory, but…" He shrugged.

I frowned slightly. "Does it… upset you that I'm on the pill?" I asked, thinking over his theory.

He laughed it off, "No. You PMS less." He teased. "No, it's your decision. We aren't ready to start a family." He admitted.

I frowned more. "Then why were we in such a rush to get married?"

He shook his head, knowing me all too well. "I'm not saying we shouldn't have gotten married, Mitch. I'm saying we shouldn't think of having kids yet. Not when you're in school and I'm going to be going on tours and stuff. But we got married, because we love each other that much. Marriage isn't about having kids or in our case having sex. It's about devoting ourselves to one another permanently."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "You always know what to say to me."

"Really? Cause half the time I feel like I'm rambling for no reason." He admitted. I laughed at him.

Sadly, our amazing honeymoon came to an end way too soon. The day before we were set to leave, Shane was packing our bags. I was standing next to the bed pouting. "I don't wanna go."

"We have to." He said sighing. "You have to start school in a few days."

"But I won't see you then." I was on the verge of tears and I knew he could hear it in my voice.

"Mitchie…" He sighed. "Don't, please don't. I don't want to be away from you either. Don't make this tour any harder." He begged, not looking at me as he placed more clothes away.

"Maybe this was a mistake, Shane." I said softly. He froze and dropped the clothes in his hands.

"W-what?" He stuttered.

"Getting married, two weeks alone in another country… before we won't see each other for three months." I explained.

"I don't understand." He replied.

"I don't know if I can handle this." I admitted. "God… I love you so much. I don't know if I can handle being away from you. Not now. Not when we should be newlyweds and enjoying that time."

"Mitchie, don't say that." He moved to stand in front of me. "It'll be fine. I promise." He swore holding my chin so I looked at him.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I reminded him.

"I'm not. I'm not saying it'll be perfect, and amazing, and time will go by so fast that I'll be home for Christmas before you know it. I'm saying we'll be able to survive this. You'll be fine."

"Will you?" I asked.

"Hell no." He laughed. "You think I'll be able to survive not seeing that beautiful face every morning? Or being licked to death by our dog? But it's my job. I have to. And I love performing, and it'll keep me preoccupied while you're busy with school. I won't be going bored out of my mind like Jason did."

"That's true." I decided. "But you'll be home for Christmas, right?"

"Nothing can stop me." He promised. "Help me get this done?" He asked nodding toward our suitcases.

I laughed at the crappy packing job he'd already down. I started taking clothes out and refolding them. He pouted and just brought me the rest of the clothes from the dresser.

When we laid down that night, I smiled to myself. I was lucky to have him. He would do anything to make me happy. "Thank you." I whispered to him.

"Hmmm? For what?" He whispered back. We had been _attempting_ to sleep.

"Being perfect." I felt his arms tighten around me.

"Thought I wasn't perfect." He teased softly.

"Perfect for me." He didn't respond. He simply kissed my head. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

Boarding the plane the next day was less than thrilling. But I was looking forward to seeing my dog and my friends. I'd gotten Anastasia an awesome birthday gift while in Greece and couldn't wait to give it her.

"We never wrote you a happy song." Shane realized while still in the air.

"When we get home." I promised. "I'm still worn out from objective number one." I saw him smirk as I fell asleep again.

I wasn't ready for reality to come back when I landed.

* * *

Gah. I dispise it.


	25. Chapter 25

So, wanna know how much I hated that chapter? I spelt despise wrong, knew I spelt it wrong, and said 'f that I don't want to fix it'. Haha. Anyway, I just did hate it. We'll leave it at that. Anyway, this chapter starts… abruptly… there's no lead in. With a lot of scenes I want to show how Mitchie was feeling by the way she conveys what happened. It's a writing technique… lol. Hopefully it's not as bad as the last chapter. And sorry for the wait, I've been shopping for the last 2 days for school. Shoe shopping is not my forte. And for all of you who were complaining it was getting too fluffy or smutty and not enough drama… told you to wait. Ya'll are gonna hate me in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 25:

"Mitchie! Shane!" We heard our names being shouted by almost every single person in the room as we exited the plane.

"How did they get in here?" I hissed to Shane who was holding my hand tightly, trying to find Nate, Caitlyn, Jason or Anastasia.

"What is your response to the pictures?" We heard repeatedly.

"What pictures?" I asked Shane.

Shane smiled politely, pushing through the crowd. This was the worst they had ever been. "We honestly have no idea what you're talking about. We just got back from our honeymoon. If you could all move please, there are other passengers who'd like to leave the plane as well." He said spoke kindly enough, but I could tell he was getting mad.

Finally Nate pushed his way through the crowd, what appeared to be a magazine clutched firmly in his hand. "Shane!" He yelled over all of the commotion. We made our way over to him as best we could, with reporters still asking us about the pictures.

I grabbed the magazine out of Nate's hand, hoping it would explain what the reporters were talking about. It was the same sleezy tabloid that had reported Jason and I dating behind Shane's back. My breath left me as a picture of Shane and I in our hotel room on our wedding night graced the cover.

"Sh-shane." I stuttered grabbing his attention from Nate, who he'd been arguing with.

"Nate, I'm serious tell me- what, Mitchie?" He stopped realizing I was speaking to him.

"L-look." I pointed. I knew there were reporters around us, most likely taking all of this in. Shane took the magazine from me and quickly tore it open, turning to the story.

'_Smitchie marry for sex.'_ The headline had been. The story had accompanying pictures of us having sex, though you couldn't see anything too bad. It just worried me of what other pictures they'd had. There was also a quote from an _unknown_ source at the hotel saying we had called room service to change the sheets and that the original sheets had a blood stain, proving I'd been a virgin. While this proved great for the guys' imagine in keeping their promise and showing that Shane wasn't sleeping with an underage girl, it was also almost proof that we'd married just to have sex.

I had tears streaming down my face and Shane was shaking with anger. Shane grabbed the nearest journalist and pulled him to us. "How long has this been known? And what other things are being said?" He demanded.

The reporter shrugged slightly. "That tabloid was the only one that would run the story. The reporter was a freelancer. We've all been waiting for you guys to get back from your honeymoon." He stammered a bit, afraid Shane would hit him. "They stooped really low on this one. The sheets report would have been enough for a good story."

Nate stepped in front of Shane, pushing him back as his fist tightened. "Thank you." He turned to Shane. "Chill. Punching out a reporter is _not_ going to help the situation, Shane." He hissed quietly.

"N-nate, where's Cait and Stas?" I asked still highly upset.

"They're all out in the limo. When we got here we were kind of attacked about the pictures. Jason and the bodyguards took the girls back to the limo. It wasn't very safe. I tried to text you, but I guess you guys haven't turned your phones on yet." Nate explained.

"Shane, can we please get out of here?" I asked, well aware of the fact that we were still standing in the airport, surrounded by reporters, waiting patiently to see if Shane would punch something.

As we began to leave their questions -and themselves- followed us out. We managed to get out to the limo safely, though.

As soon as we got in, Caitlyn and Anastasia wrapped their arms around me. "Are you okay?" They asked. I simply shook my head no. Jason and Nate kept glancing between myself and Shane. He was still shaking with anger, his fist clenched tightly. His eyes however were trained on me, looking helpless.

"Mitchie-" His voice cracked in the middle of the word. He looked confused and didn't know what to say.

I slipped away from Caitlyn and Anastasia. Before Shane really realized what I was doing, my face was buried in his chest as sobs ripped through me. He held me long after the limo stopped at my parent's house.

The others ended up leaving us in the limo, Shane rocking me gently. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." He kept whispering.

"Why-" _Hiccup_, "Why do they have to be so cruel?" I whispered.

"I don't know." He replied. "I don't know." He whispered equally broken as I felt. "I'll fix it. I promise. Somehow." He swore.

"Home." I whispered. "I want to go home." I insisted.

"We are home, baby. We're at the house-" I shook my head no, interrupting him.

"_Our_ home." I replied, staring at him with watery eyes. He nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to get the dog and let them know we're going home, okay?" He said softly. He kissed my head before climbing out.

I curled up into a ball on the leathery seats. Why were paparazzi so cruel? Honestly? What did they gain from exploiting my wedding night? What right did they have to cheapen it like that? Why couldn't we just get married and leave it at that?

I must have fallen asleep while I was thinking, because the next thing I knew, Shane was carrying me to the elevator. I could faintly hear paparazzi in the background and Jacob growling.

"Come on, Jake. Stop." I heard Shane whisper almost pleadingly as he tried to not drop me and pull the leash at the same time.

"Shane?" I whispered sleepily.

"Shhh, Baby. Stay asleep." He whispered, kissing my forehead. I nodded against his shoulder and fell back asleep.

I woke up a while later in our bed. I could hear the others moving around the apartment. Everyone would be living at the apartment until we left. I padded out of the room, eyes bloodshot looking like I was probably stoned.

"Hey." Shane said softly upon seeing me. He got up, wrapping his arms around me. "Feeling better?" I shook my head yes, then no, then yes again. "That was a good non-vague answer." He teased softly.

"Yes and no." I replied honestly. My voice was raw from crying so much. I was hurt. Beyond hurt. It just didn't seem fair.

"What can we do to cheer you up, Mitch?" Jason asked.

I smiled at him, moving away from Shane. "Give me a hug." I said opening my arms. Jason hugged me immediately. Surprisingly, Nate followed, hugging me as well. I teased them, bringing the first real smile to my face. "It's not the same only hugging Shane."

They laughed and pulled away. "Yeah, well. You need all 3 members of Connect 3 to be completely connected for it to be the absolute best." Nate teased.

"Group hug!" Jason cried, attacking Shane and I at the same time. I found myself locked in tight hug again. Jason beckoned Caitlyn and Anastasia over as well. The six of us stood in the living room looking like idiots, locked in a giant group hug.

"Okay, okay. I feel better." I cried out laughing slightly. Laughing, we all broke apart and made our way to sitting down. Caitlyn and Nate were cuddling on the couch while Jason sat on the floor in front of Anastasia. Shane sat in the armchair and pulled me down into his lap.

"Note to self: we need more furniture." Caitlyn quipped.

"Yeah, a couch and an armchair simply aren't enough for six people." Anastasia agreed. "We are so going shopping next summer for new furniture."

"Who's going to be here, though?" I asked. "Do any of you really want to live with a married couple?"

"Personally, I don't want to hear them having sex." Jason voiced his opinion.

"Jealous." Shane _coughed_, clearing his throat.

"You okay, Shane?" Jason asked. "You sound sick." We all hid our smiles at Jason.

"I'm fine." Shane assured him.

"_Anyway_…" Caitlyn sighed. "Even if we don't live with you guys, we're going to need to be able to fit all of us _somewhere_. It's not like we aren't going to never hang out again."

"Well, I was kind of planning on moving back to Pennsylvania for awhile after the tour. Ya know, see my family." Nate commented, not looking at Caitlyn.

"And? You get back from tour while I'm still in school. No biggie." She shrugged.

"I meant to my house." He attempted to clarify.

"I get it, Nate. Back with your parents." Caitlyn looked at him oddly.

He sighed. "No, Caity. _My_ house. As in, stay there for a while. Get out of the city for a while."

"Oh. _That_ house." She said tightly.

"I thought, you know, since Shane and Mitchie are probably going to want to spend time alone when school and the tour are done, that maybe you and I could move out to the house for the summer…" He said nervously, looking at his hands.

Caitlyn's head snapped to look at him. "Really?" She seemed surprised.

"Yeah." He said smiling slightly.

"Nate…" Caitlyn awed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She asked.

"I was planning a big surprise, but…" He shrugged.

"I'd love to." She smiled brightly at him, kissing his cheek. Nate smiled the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face.

"Okay, is your moment over?" Anastasia asked, ruining said moment.

"Now it is." I laughed. "What house?" I asked confused.

"I bought my grandmother's house the summer of the first Camp Rock. Jason and I stayed there while Shane was reforming."

"Oh." I said confused. I looked at Anastasia who was equally confused.

"_Why_ did you?" She asked.

Nate smiled. "My grandmother was really sick, but she had this beautiful house in the countryside. She owned it, but because of the taxes, she was going to lose it. So, I bought the house from her. She stayed there until she died just after Camp Rock."

"Awwww." Anastasia and I cooed. "I didn't know your grandmother died." I said softly.

He shrugged. "It was time. When Jase and I were there she didn't the know the difference between us." We gave him odd looks of 'are you serious'. "Yeah, that's how bad it was." He laughed.

"That's cool, though. Moving into a house." I smiled at them. "What about you two?" I asked Jason and Anastasia.

Jason shrugged. Anastasia half smiled. "Probably just move back into my brothers place, honestly. He's never there anyway. It's amazing his place doesn't get robbed twenty-four seven."

"That's just like this place." Shane shrugged himself. "Doesn't matter if you are there very long. It's the principal of having somewhere to come home _to_." He explained. "With your brother's schedule, he doesn't have much time for _someone_ to come home to." He reasoned.

"True." Anastasia agreed. "Though, personally, I'm thankful for that. I wouldn't have met Jason if John had time to keep a relationship."

"I forgot that. God, that seems so long ago!" Caitlyn laughed.

"Life's changing so fast." Nate commented, looking around. "You two are going to college, Stas is going back to college, we're on another tour. Shane and Mitchie are married." He laughed softly. "It's a lot to take in."

"I'm going to miss this." Jason said sadly. "It's all going to be different now."

"No, it won't." I assured him.

"Yes, it will." He argued, growing more and more upset. "Nate's moving him and Cait to PA. Shane will probably want to stay in Boston to be near his brother and sister, and you while you're in school. And Stas is going to want to stay in New York but my family is in Massachusetts." He ranted passionately.

"Jase, if you want to move back home, we can. Or… ya know, we don't _have_ to live together." Anastasia soothed.

"But I _want_ to." He replied. "I don't want to get married yet, but I want to be with you."

"Awww, Jase." Anastasia awed, hugging him. "We can move to wherever it is that your family lives." She assured him. "I don't care about being near my parents and John's never around anyway."

"We're still going to be separated." He whined, gesturing to all of us.

"Jason. Nothing is going to change. You really think anything is going to break apart this family?" Caitlyn asked him. "I'll be damned if I let the first real family I've ever had break apart over distance."

"She's got a point." Shane agreed. "Let's worry about that when the time comes, okay? Let's get back to having fun or if we must worry, worry about current problems."

"Thanks, Shane." I mumbled slumping back against him. "I'd almost forgotten about those stupid pictures and that article."

Shane sighed while the other's smiles slide off their faces. "I _meant_ getting ready to part ways in two days."

"I don't want to think about that either." I whimpered, burying my face into his shoulder.

"None of us do, Mitch." Nate replied. "But we need to."

"Not yet." I whined.

"Fine." Nate sighed. "Let's, um…"

"Let's go old school and play a board game." Anastasia suggested excitedly. She ran into Jason's room, and emerged a moment later with a pile of board games over flowing in her arms. "Monopoly, Parcheesi, Trivial Pursuit-"

"Trivial Pursuit!" Caitlyn and Shane called out. "Nate is such a jerk when you play Monopoly." Caitlyn pouted while Shane nodded in agreement.

"Trivial Pursuit it is." She smiled placing the other boxes on the floor.

We played for a long time. There were a few answers we were worried to know how the answerer knew said answer. But overall, we had fun and it took our minds off of everything. It felt like nothing had changed much. That the only thing that had changed was Shane's purity ring now sat on my right hand with my promise ring, and that our left ring fingers were adorned in wedding bands.

I sighed, wishing with all of my might that that were really true. But I knew it wasn't. After we went to bed, I couldn't sleep. I pulled out Shane's laptop and began torturing myself. Shane found me in the living room reading articles and posts on the C3 fan sites almost two hours later.

_Smitchie only married for the sex? What kind of role models are these people? Shane must be desperate to get married just for sex- with no prenub to mention either._

A lot of the articles were like that, and there were sites that had the pictures on them. I was mortified.

While searching for articles, though, I came across my saving grace. Jayden posted an article on , ripping the original reporter to shreds.

_Obviously, entertainment journalism has come to serious downfall. Shane and Mitchie Grey are two of the most welcoming people to the paparazzi when asked and when it's appropriate. Spying on them in their hotel room was so far from appropriate. They gave Cosmo the exclusive rights to follow Mitchie during the planning stages of their wedding and during the actual event to show the world the real reasons they're getting married. They love their fans and supporters and wanted to share their wedding with them. But now Mitchie's wedding has been cheapened and ruined. Every little girl dreams of their perfect wedding, and one stupid reporter has stolen that from her. Their wedding night should have been a private occurrence between the newlyweds. And personally, I give Mitchie credit for holding out until her wedding night. If you see the couple in their own environment, you can see the love and the tension between them. Many girls in Mitchie's position would have given it up long ago, regardless of Shane's purity vow._

_I hope that the reporter who originally wrote that article feels satisfied with themselves for ruining the Grey's newlywed bliss and making their pending split even harder. Many of you may not have realized that Mitchie will be attending college this fall and Shane will be on tour in Europe. They only had 3 weeks together before being separated for 3 months. Oddly enough, there are still people in this world who get married for love._

I smiled and sent Jayden an email thanking her. Then I started looking on the fan sites to see what the C3 obsessed teenage girls were saying. Some conversations on the sites were funny despite every other person hating me.

_Like, omg! I can't believe she managed to corrupt Shane like that._

_You're so stupid. They're like, totally in love. At least he married her before doing it._

_OMG! It's none of your business! Leave them alone. I give Mitchie credit for making him marry her first. She knew how to get what she wanted._

_You're such a hippocrite. 'Leave them alone. Mitchie's just a good gold-digger'. Ever heard of a prenub stupid?_

_Who are you calling stupid? You can't spell. And they so didn't have a prenub._

_Why are you arguing about this? Don't we all love Shane? Shouldn't we be happy about him being married? And like, supporting him? Gosh, guys, you are really bad fans. It's not like he's going to fall in love with any of us. And if it weren't for Mitchie, Shane and C3 could have gotten dropped from the label. _

I smiled at the last post. I clicked on their username to find their email.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Shane asked tiredly. I jumped, slightly startled. He looked at the screen and rolled his eyes. "Why are you on there?" He asked, referring to the _Connect 3 Connection_ fan site. It was actually the most well known of their fan sites and occasionally the guys' fan club did things with them.

"Because." I answered simply.

"Stop torturing yourself. Why are you looking at that stuff?" He sighed, laying on the couch next to me. His head was resting slightly on my leg, next to the laptop.

"I was just wondering. I wanted to see what was being said, and what your fans were thinking. Jayden wrote a nice article defending us-"

"Mitchie. Why do you care what the fans think?" He groaned, cutting off my subject change.

"Because your career is important." I said quietly.

"Fuck my career." He said bluntly. I was slightly taken aback at his language. Usually he only cursed when we were fighting or he was beyond pissed off.

"Shane…" I sighed, closing the laptop.

"My career doesn't matter if it's hurting you." He said softly, reaching up to caress my cheek.

"I know that's how you think, and I appreciate at that. But you need to stay employed. Especially now that we're married."

He shrugged, "I could always go back to school like I wanted to."

"We can't afford for both of us to go to school, Shane. We don't qualify for financial aid. And that's a lot of money to put out a year. Loans or out of pocket."

He let out a strangled noise of frustration. "You always think about money in the _we-don't-have-any-sense_."

"And you never think about it in the _we-shouldn't-waste-it-sense_," I replied.

"Damn, three weeks and already fighting about money." Shane laughed, trying to ease the sudden tension. I smiled despite myself. "I know you think I squander money, but I really don't. I have a lot of it saved away that I'm not even thinking of touching until we buy a house, and I have money in stocks and stuff."

I looked down at him, confused. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. I do." I ran my hand through his hair. "Do you trust me?" He asked seriously.

Without pausing to think, I answered. "With all my heart."

"Everything is going to be fine." He assured me. "This will blow over."

I just nodded, praying he was right.

* * *

Smiles innocently. Like you didn't see that coming? Honestly. The door, the sheets… come on… honestly? And the hippocrite was inspired by Allison. Not that she spelt that wrong, but because she tends to spell things wrong in adorable ways like that. Eye el oh ve ee ewe Allison.


	26. Chapter 26

So, this chapter was hard to write in a sense. How to really convey their feelings and what not. And yes, Shane is a tad ooc but it will be explained next chapter. I've a surprise only 2 of you know about. Well. It's not much of a 'surprise' as it is an awesome thing I can't wait to write. But on a side not, ScarlettBlush is hosting? Camp Rock awards. So, you should totally go check those out. Yup. You should. And we've broken 1700 reviews. Yay!

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Chapter 26:

I've never prayed for time to stop so much in my life. The night before leaving for school, I laid in our bed, holding on to Shane for dear life. He was holding me just as tightly.

There were so many thoughts racing through my mind. What if this didn't work out? What if we were too busy for one another and something happened? What if he fell out of love with me? Or worse. What if I fell out of love with him?

My worried eyes scanned his equally worried face. That one look was all it took to shake most of those fears. I smiled at him softly. He smiled back. His fingers reached out and traced the contours of my face. I shivered at his light touch.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." I sighed.

"I'm going to miss you." He admitted, though I knew this already.

"I'm going to miss you, too." I whispered.

"Don't let someone steal your heart while I'm gone, okay?" He tried to make it sound teasing, but I could hear the fear and vulnerability in his voice.

"Promise. Don't let someone steal yours." I replied, equally worried.

"Not possible." He grinned.

"Why's that?" I asked taunting him.

"Because it's safe." He replied. I raised an eyebrow. "It's locked away, right… here." He pointed to my own heart. I felt tears spring to my eyes.

"I'm going to miss all of your cheesy clichéness." I sniffled.

"I'm going to miss seeing your reactions. Rolling your eyes, pushing me, awing. It's always fun to see how you'll react." He replied. I could hear his voice beginning to crack and tears were forming in his own eyes.

"I'm going to miss you randomly singing to me." I spoke softly.

"I'm going to miss singing to only you." Shane shook his head slightly. "This is getting us nowhere." His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as I felt tears beginning to fall. "I hate this." I whispered, barely audible.

"I know." I heard it in his voice that he was crying, too. "I hate this, too."

"Why do we have to deal with this?" I cried softly, burying myself in his chest.

"Because you fell in love with celebrity at the age of sixteen." He murmured. "Because I was stupid and let you fall in love with me." He paused. "Because I was stupid and let myself fall in love with you. Because I was too caught up to cut my loses when you lied to me. Because we love each other enough to overcome this in the end."

I laughed softly through my tears, though it was mostly humorless. "You make us sound like star crossed lovers who aren't meant to be in the end."

"We weren't meant to be. Not really." He spoke indifferently. My body tensed.

"We aren't?" My voice cracked.

"We _weren't_. Think about it. I was almost 19 when I met you. I should _not_ have fallen for a 16 year old. We came from _different worlds_ and what not. We weren't _supposed _to fall in love. But we _did_. And that's what makes this so much greater. Because it's not fate forcing us together whether we want to be or not. We _choose_ to be here, where we are. We freely and without force chose to be with one another. Everything we overcome, just shows how much we mean to one another, because we're _fighting_ for it. We're earning and deserving everything we get in the end." He spoke with as much passion as his body would allow. Our bodies were still weary from refreshing our memories of each other's bodies. Ensuring we didn't forgot the other during 3 months apart.

"Do you ever regret it?" I asked after a small silence. "Dating me?"

He lifted my chin to face him. "Never." He said looking me intently in the eyes. "Not for myself." He amended. "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier for you in the end if I just… broke your heart at the end of Final Jam, instead of kissing you. Every time I see you cry because of me or because of my career and what comes along with it, _I wonder_. Could I have spared her from this? But I see one smile light up your face and my selfishness comes into play. I remember _why_ I couldn't walk away. Why I _couldn't_ just focus on my music. Because I _need_ you. As selfish as it may be to put you through all of this, I need you."

"You have me. You'll always have me." I whispered, tears falling from my blinking eyes. "I need you, too." He didn't reply. He kissed my forehead and I sighed. I fell into the most horribly pleasant sleep of my life. It was tortuous to know this was the last time I'd be sleeping in his arms for three months.

I grudgingly got up the next morning and started making breakfast. Nate stumbled into the kitchen a little while later. His eyes were as bloodshot as mine, indicating that Caitlyn and he had had as much of good night as Shane and I.

"How you holding up?" He asked knowingly.

"I'm not." I replied honestly. "He scared me last night." I admitted. Nate and I seemed to relate better in terms of our relationships then Caitlyn and I. Caitlyn was the stronger of the two when it came to things, such as Shane was. Nate and I were more often floating helplessly trying to figure everything out.

"Why?" Nate asked, confused.

"He said we weren't meant to be. Meaning that it wasn't fate that was pushing us together. That we chose to be together. He said a lot of sweet things, but at the same time-" I paused, flipping the omelet I was making. "What if that's our downfall? What if one of us decides it's not worth it anymore?"

"Mitchie, you're married. I highly doubt you'd have that thought long enough to get divorced." Nate tried to console me as best he could.

"It just scares me, Nate." I sighed, sliding the omelet onto a plate and handing it to him. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"The same. I'm not. She's so confident and not worried. Almost like she doesn't care that we won't see each other for 3 months. Like she needs a break again or something."

"It's Cait." I soothed him. "She's going to be hardheaded and stubborn and hide her feelings. I know she's probably going insane on the inside. It won't be until you leave tonight that she'll break down and admit that she's hating that you're leaving."

"She just seemed so uncaring. If that's what I was like, then damn. No wonder she hated me. I was pouring my heart out to her, and she barely seemed phased." He sighed.

"Cait's defense." I replied, starting another omelet.

"True. Thanks, Mitchie. This was good." He nodded toward the empty plate. "I'm going to go hop in the shower while no one else is in there." I smiled at him as he left the kitchen.

By the time the next omelet was done, Anastasia was sitting at the table, her head in her hands. Now _she_ was definitely the most stubborn of all of us. "How are you?" I asked, giving her the omelet.

"Perfectly fine. Can't wait to move in." She'd be moving in the morning, then we'd be moving in the afternoon. The schools weren't too far from one another as it was. It made sense to load up both Dad's truck and the catering truck with everyone's stuff and make it in one trip.

"And the separation?" I asked.

"I hope he can handle it this time." She sighed.

"_He_? Weren't you just as frazzled as he was?" I scoffed.

"Because he kept whining and telling me he missed me. If it weren't for that, I would have been fine." I laughed to myself. She adamantly believed that, no matter how wrong it was.

"Whatever you say, Stas." I replied. "At least we'll be closer this year." I said, changing the subject slightly.

"Yeah. That'll be good. We'll have to meet up once every two weeks or something. I'll bring E out, too. She's really awesome." Anastasia said, speaking of her roommate Elisha.

"I remember. She just seemed out of place when you were in the hospital. But we tend to be intimidating to outsiders." I teased.

"Yeah, you are." She agreed. "This was great, Mitchie." She complimented. "Might want to make a few more, though, cause Shane, Jason, and Caitlyn will be up soon." She headed back into Jason's room.

I smiled and started on the next one. I felt arms wrap around my waist as I faced the stove. "You look cute cooking in my t-shirt." Shane mumbled against my shoulder.

"I know." I smirked. "It'll be done in a few." I promised. By the time I finished Shane's omelet, Nate emerged from the bathroom, Anastasia disappeared into it, and Jason and Caitlyn had stumbled out of their respective bedrooms.

"Mitchie's making breakfast?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah." Shane smiled, shoveling the omelet in his mouth. "You so got your mother's omelet abilities." He complimented, mouth half open with food.

I rolled my eyes. "Great, we'll just have breakfast for all of our meals and we'll be good."

"Hey!" Shane pouted as I twisted his compliment. "Why must you do that? And you can cook dinner very well, too. With a recipe." He added.

"Thank you." I kissed his cheek as I slid another omelet onto a plate. After feeding everyone else, I ate my own omelet. Soon, though, we were all ready to go and waiting for Mom and Dad to get there. It didn't make sense to drive back to NJ to drive up to MA.

A few hours later we were all pulling up outside of the Grey household in Boston. Shane and I were in the Mustang with Jacob. Nate, Caitlyn, and Jason were in Anastasia car, while Mom and Dad drove their own vehicles.

"Mitchie!" Nicky yelled running out of the house. I rolled my eyes. She was too happy for 7:30 in the morning. Yes, I woke up around 4 this morning.

"Hey, Nick." I replied tiredly, hugging her. "How are you?" I asked.

She pouted. "Crappy. I think I should have just stayed broken up from him. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much."

"I think then it'd be harder, actually. For both of you." I said knowingly. "He needs to know he has you back here."

"I know." She sighed. "Morning, Shane." She kissed her brother's cheek.

"Oh," He scoffed, "_Now_ you notice me."

"What? I like your wife better." She replied smirking.

I giggled. "I noticed." He pouted.

We didn't stay long. We made a bathroom break as well as dropped Jacob off. Though no one would be living in the room with him, Jacob would have Shane's room. I wanted him closer to me then leaving him in New Jersey. Nicky offered to let him stay in her room, having spent most of the summer with him. I thought Jacob might prefer to be surrounded by Shane's scent. Despite the fact he hadn't lived there for awhile, Shane's scent lingered in the room. Especially to a strong nose like Jacob's.

Good-bye is hard to say. Shane was on the verge of tears as Jacob stared up at him. "I'm going to miss you, boy." Shane spoke softly, petting him. "But Daddy'll be home soon. Remember that. And Mommy's gonna visit all of the time."

"I hope we never have to do this with our real children." I whispered softly.

"I am never leaving on a tour I can't take my kids on." Shane said firmly.

I sighed. "Don't make promises-"

"I _will_ keep that one." He insisted, standing up. Jacob whined slightly, scratching at Shane's leg. He knew what was going on.

"Bye, pup." Shane whispered one last time, closing his bedroom door closed.

After moving Anastasia in, we found ourselves at a lose. Do we take her with us to move into our dorm and say good-bye all at our dorm? Or do we say good-bye now and leave her there?

In the end, we opted to leave Anastasia at her school. Jason and Anastasia both agreed it would be hard enough. She didn't think she'd be able to drive after saying good-bye to any of us.

"I'm gonna miss you." Nate said, hugging her. "It's gonna be hard keeping Shane in check without you." He told Anastasia.

"Awe. I'm gonna miss you, too, Nate." She whispered something in his ear.

"I will. Promise me the same?" He asked. She nodded.

She moved over to Shane next. "Dracula." She smiled, hugging him.

"I'm so _not_ going to miss that. But I am going to miss you. You're like my sister."

"Did you just compare me to a 16 year old?" She gasped playfully.

"Okay, you girls need to _stop_ twisting my words." He mock glared at her.

"I'm gonna miss you, too." She replied. "Who else am I gonna be competition with?" We all laughed, knowing what she meant. Shane and Anastasia had a silent competition between the two, almost always. Whether it was annoying the other more or leaving more hickey's on their significant other. It was sibling-rivalry at it's best sometimes. It often felt like the oldest brother and sister fighting for control of the family. What made it the best was the fact that Shane and Anastasia _were_ the oldest male and female of the group.

Shane laughed as he stepped back, letting Caitlyn and I talk to her next. Caitlyn hugged her tightly, not saying much. She was never one for many words when it came to her feelings. Next was me.

"Stas." I said simply, hugging her tightly. "We had so better see each other as much as you say."

"Who are you kidding, Mitchie? One of the three of us are going to call tonight. And we will probably meet up at some point in the next week while there's not much to do yet. We aren't that far apart." She laughed with tears in her eyes.

"See you soon." I promised, stepping back again. Caitlyn, the boys and I made our way back to the Mustang. We gave Jason a few minutes alone with Anastasia.

We watched as she hugged him tightly and I swear I saw her cry. He was doing his best not to, but we knew he was. They didn't seem to say much, but Jason held her tightly. For all we knew he could have been talking quietly.

He pulled away first. I saw Anastasia's face fall more. "Love you." I clearly understood him whispering though I couldn't hear it.

She couldn't seem to speak enough to say it back. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She stomped her foot slightly in frustration. Jason smiled, kissing her forehead. He stepped away fully from her. She made her way into the dorm, unable to watch him leave.

Caitlyn and I hugged him as he came over to us. "It'll be okay." I assured him.

He looked at us with hollow eyes. "1 down. 2 to go." He said softly. I locked eyes with Shane. He glanced away a moment later. I sighed.

Though moving Caitlyn and I was rather… interesting, it was only delaying the inevitable. Jason gave Caitlyn and I a short good-bye, not having the heart to say too much. Then I said good-bye to Nate while Caitlyn said good-bye to Shane.

"Take care of him?" I asked Nate, glancing at my husband.

"Take care of her." Nate replied. "I've handled him before. It's not a big deal."

"And I've handled her. Make sure Jason doesn't become too depressed either." I requested.

"I will. Be sure to keep in touch with Stas." He warned.

I smiled. "I will. Nate…" I blinked, feeling tears form. "I don't want to say good-bye to him, again."

Nate hugged me tightly to him. "I know. I know. It's hard. But, we're all going through it, so you've got a great support system for once we leave." He tried to calm me down as a few tears slid out of my eyes onto his shoulder.

"You've changed." I smiled through my tears. "Two years ago, you'd never have known what to say to me crying. You would have stammered and directed me toward Shane or Caitlyn or even Jason."

He shrugged. "I don't want to lose Caitlyn. I had to learn how to feel."

"She's lucky she has you. You're so devoted to her it's amusing." I said smiling even more.

"Like Shane isn't the same." He rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, if he's getting too depressed or something, please let me know." I begged,

"Promise." He swore. "Don't let her shut you out. Or me."

"Promise." I repeated. "I'm going to miss you, Nate." I smiled sadly.

"Ditto." He replied. I stepped away from to see Caitlyn smiling at us.

I didn't say much to Shane when I switched places with Caitlyn. He kissed me, savoring the moment.

"Love you." He whispered brokenly. "God, I don't want to go."

"Love you, too. And I don't want you, too, either. But you have to. And I can't go with you." I whispered, trying to stay strong for once.

"I'm scared." He admitted.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"You know why. And you're going to get mad at me being scared." He said softly.

"Shane…" I sighed. "I'm not going to do that." I promised, referring to cutting myself.

"I know. I'm just scared that you will. I can't shake it. I just… I had to tell you. I had to hear you say it. And maybe, me letting you know I'm afraid will help keep you from doing it." He explained softly.

"I promised you I hadn't and that I wouldn't." I sighed. "I'm honestly more scared for you. _You_ don't' handle our separations easily."

"What could I possibly do?" He asked laughing slightly.

"Drink? You'll be 21 in a few weeks." I said uncertainly.

He chuckled softly. "Mitchie, I don't even know the legal drinking age of half the countries in Europe, much less the one I'm going to be in when I turn 21. I'm going to wait until I get back to have my first 'legal' drink, anyway."

I smiled despite the situation. "Good. And try not to piss Nate off too bad. I mean, Mitchie-withdrawal, sex-withdrawal… you might go insane." I teased.

"I'm not _that_ bad." I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, the first two days, _yes_. But not in general." He argued.

"I know. I'm teasing. Trying to escape the reality of this situation." I looked over his shoulder, avoiding his eyes. He knew me too well and pulled my chin back to face him.

"I'm sorry." He spoke softly.

"I know." I said. "I'm sorry, too." Sighing, I closed my eyes. I felt his lips press against my forehead, and tears begin falling down my face. "I'm going to miss that." I said referring to his random kisses.

"I know." He spoke against my forehead. "I'll call you before we board and after we land tomorrow." He promised.

"Okay." I replied. "Enjoy Europe." I said with a half smile.

"Enjoy college." He smirked. He kissed me one last time. "I love you. Don't forget that."

"I love you, too. Now go before I completely lose it." I spoke shakily, warding off the sobs as best I could.

"Goo-" I cut him off.

"Don't. Don't say good-bye. Just tell me you love me and leave." I said pressing my fingers against his mouth.

"I love you." He said against my fingers before backing away from me. He met up with Nate as they headed back to Jason. Mom wrapped an arm around me while Dad did the same to Caitlyn.

"You girls will be fine." Dad assured us as we watched the three broken pop stars drive off. They had a meeting that night in New York. Mom and Dad would be staying for a bit yet.

"You sure, Dad?" I asked.

"Absolutely." He promised.

"I hope you're right, Dad." Caitlyn sigh, leaning against him. "I miss him already." She laughed with tears beginning to fall.

"I know how you feel." I replied, tears still falling from saying good-bye to Shane.

"Maybe we should leave you girls to go get settled, cry, wallow a bit." Mom suggested. Dad nodded in agreement.

"Okay." I smiled.

After a heartfelt good-bye from our parents -I mean, my parents, no our parents- we linked arms and waved good-bye to them. Caitlyn had began calling my parents Mom and Dad, seeing as they seemed to be more of parents than her real ones. She was still fairly close with her real ones, but mine were a close second.

As we entered our dorm room, Caitlyn collapsed on her bed. "I hate this." She whimpered, tears threatening to turn into sobs. I smiled to myself, knowing she was about to break down just I had predicted.

"I know. We all do. It'll get easier." I hope, I added silently.

My phone buzzed, alerting me to a text. _I miss you already_. I read.

_I miss you, too.__God, this brings back memories._ I smiled. I turned my attention back to Caitlyn, though, waiting for her to let everything out.

"Last night… he was pouring his heart out, and I just… I couldn't handle it. I just shut down. I forced my feelings away and focused on everything else. He was telling me all the things he was looking forward to. I could only nod and say that's nice. And oh my god, saying good-bye… That was the worst feeling in my life. You'd think it'd get easier the more we do it. But it doesn't. It only gets harder, because you know what's to come and you imagine all of the curveballs that are going to come and try to tear you apart. God, Mitchie." She started crying hysterically. I comforted her the best I could, my own tears falling. We ended up falling asleep on her bed, tears covering our faces.

I woke up a few hours later to a few text messages. _Yeah I know. Unfortunately it's not so easy anymore_. The first read. _Mitchie? You there baby?_ He sent a little after that. _Well, call me later, okay?_ He asked.

He answered on the first ring. I was in the hallway, not wanting to wake Caitlyn up. "Hey, pop star." I said softly.

"Hey, baby." He said back. "Cait break down?" He asked knowingly.

"Yeah. She couldn't handle it last night and just pushed it the side. It all hit just after you guys left. Mom and Dad didn't stay too long, knowing it wasn't going to take too long for us to break down."

"Us?" He questioned.

"I cried hysterically." I replied honestly.

I heard him laughing. "I pulled over about 10 minutes back on the road. 3 crying 20 year old guys is a funny sight, I think." He admitted.

"Well, as much I want to talk to you, I'm exhausted. But we need to eat, so I'm going to wake Caitlyn up and go get food." That was a lie. It just hurt too much talking to him.

"Yeah. I'm hungry, too." He replied knowingly. Little did we know that would become our code.

"Good night, Shane. I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." He replied. I closed the phone first, knowing he wouldn't.

I felt another set of tears beginning to start as I leaned my head against the wall, clutching my phone tightly to my chest.

* * *

Tear. So sad. But yet, don't forget to check out the CR awards.


	27. Chapter 27

I'm so sorry. I've been super busy and tired. I got pricked with needles and such, and then I went to a water park and I was uber tired after that, and then I went out to dinner with my cousins and that was fun but tiring. And on top of all of that, I've been packing. I leave next Saturday. But on a happy note, I got a brand new laptop today. It was a late birthday present from my dad and brother. Anyway, we broke 1800 reviews. Here's the new chapter. No one have a heart attack at the end, please? And forgive the vulgar language from Gavin. Thank you. And thanks for the reviews and the support and what not.

* * *

Chapter 27:

Shane knew as well as I did that I wasn't hungry. But we had to eat. I begrudgingly pulled Caitlyn out of our dorm. There were people milling about in the hallways getting to know each other. We said hello to quite a few but didn't stay and talk to most. Except Faith.

"Hey, I'm Faith." She'd introduced herself rather hyper. "And you two seem really down." She toned down the hyperness upon noticing the huge bags and tear streaks still adorning our faces.

"Our boyfriends leave tomorrow for their European Tour." Caitlyn explained. "Well, husband and boyfriend." She corrected, gesturing to me and then herself.

"Oh, that must be hard. Are they in a band or in the military?" She asked genuinely curious.

"They're in a band. Connect 3?" I answered, almost bored.

"Oh. I've heard of them. Not my usual scene, but I love _When You Look Me In The Eyes_." Caitlyn's eyes filled with tears as a smile light up her face.

I smiled. "They wrote that the last time they were on tour. Nate specifically for Cait after hearing Shane complain to me."

Faith smiled. "Awesome. It's a beautiful song. I wish my boyfriend would do that. Nope, instead when he goes on a tour, it's to a foreign country and I only get gifts back." She sighed sarcastically. "I'd so prefer a song than an original solid jade Japanese elephant." We gave her a slightly confused look, not sure what she was getting at. "I collect Elephants." She explained. "And my boyfriend is in the military. He's 3 years older than me."

"Ahh. So, it's got to be pretty hard for you." I sympathized.

She shrugged. "Eh. Yes and no. It can be. But I just keep thinking about when I graduate college, and we'll get married, and then I can live with him on base." She smiled. "You said you were married?" Faith asked me.

I smiled. "A grand total of 3 weeks." I laughed. "Not even, actually."

"Wow. I give you credit for that." She said sincerely. "Personally, I'm hungry. Who's up for grabbing food?" She asked.

Caitlyn and I shared a look before nodding. "That's actually what we were on our way to do." Caitlyn said smiling brightly.

"Awesome. You want to go to the cafeteria or one of the places on campus or somewhere in town?" Faith asked.

"Anywhere's good." I shrugged. "Don't have too much of an appetite. But we _have_ to eat, so…"

She smiled and dragged us the cafeteria. After getting our food, we found a place to sit. "So, I gathered your name is Cait, but I didn't quite catch yours." Faith said pointing a fork at me.

"Mitchie." I smiled. "So, what are you majoring in?" I asked, making conversation.

"Composing. Or, that's what I'll be doing when I graduate. Hopefully. What about you two?" She replied.

"Music Theory." I answered.

"You want to teach music or something?" Faith asked.

"Mitchie's a singer." Caitlyn said.

"Oh. What about you, Cait?" She asked.

"Production." She answered smiling happily.

"Cool." Faith nodded. "Do you guys work together a lot?"

We shrugged nonchalantly. "Not… really…" I said.

"I've just taken almost every single song Mitchie's written and made music to it." Caitlyn smiled.

Faith laughed. "You two are something else. You seem pretty down to earth for being celebrities' girlfriends, or wife as the case may be."

"We try." We laughed.

We hung out with Faith for a while before heading back to the dorm. Caitlyn decided to go for a walk or something. I sat in our room setting up my computer. Once I was finally online I made a mental note to change my home page to the boys' Tour Diary. Yes, they were keeping a tour diary via blog on the official C3 website. Each of the guys would make their own entries and Rich would make general updates as well.

I wasn't expecting to see any updates on it when I opened the page. I was shocked to find all three guys made an entry despite the fact that the tour hadn't officially begun yet. Not wanting to get my hopes up, I clicked on Jason's entry first.

_Hey, so yeah. Tour totally hasn't started yet. We know. But for us? It so has. We said good-bye to the girls. Man was that hard. Last time Stas was at college the distance kinda took its toll. Honestly? I'm scared. I didn't want to leave her this morning. I love her so much. I cried. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I. Cried. I'm going to miss her. I'm gonna miss Mitchie and Caitlyn, too, but it's different. That's like missing a sister. Missing Stas is like missing my other half. I'm like jelly with no peanut butter. I'm just a jelly sandwich. Three months without her is going to be impossible to bare. I just… I feel like she doesn't seem to be as worried. She was upset, yeah, but not worried. Maybe I'm freaking out for no reason, but I lost her once. I don't wanna again._

I smiled as I read what Jason wrote. Anastasia could be so stubborn sometimes. Jason loved her. That much was clearly evident. I clicked on Nate's next, saving Shane for last.

_I think I've switched places with my girlfriend. She barely seemed phased that I'm leaving for 3 months. I, on the other hand, am freaking out. I love being in the band, I love touring, and I love making fans happy. But there _is_ one thing I love more. Caitlyn. But it doesn't seem to matter how much I tell her that. She's handling this whole thing a lot better than I am and that scares me. God, I just hope she's not getting sick of me or something. But, I'm pumped for the tour. As long as Mr. Newlywed isn't moping the entire time. But, he _did_ just get married 3 weeks ago. It's understandable that he doesn't want to leave Mitchie behind. I don't want to leave Caity behind, and we aren't even engaged. And yeah, technically tour hasn't started yet, but… we had to say good-bye to our loves, and that's when it starts for us. I just hope I survive this._

I frowned slightly, unsure of what Nate meant. But I moved on. I hovered over the link for Shane's page. I was anxious to click on it. I wanted to read what he wrote but I was afraid that there wouldn't be anything like what Jason and Nate hadn't written. I was almost right.

_I hate tours. I hate tours where I can't bring my wife with me. I'd love to tour Europe, if she was with me. She made music enjoyable again and it hurts entirely too much without her. I know I'm not even on tour yet, but damn it. You say good-bye to your wife of 2 and a half weeks and tell me you're happy about leaving. I am psyched about going on tour, but at the same time, I'm not. I don't know if I can survive this. I tried pushing her away the last two days, and it didn't work. I've tried to detach myself, and I can't. I'm completely and totally addicted to Mitchie. I apologize to any fans who find my performances lacking while on this tour. It's going to be hard missing her. For once, she had to be the strong one. I almost lost in when we moved the girls into school. I didn't want to leave. I hope she knows I love her, and that I'm only doing this because I have to. Not that I don't want to, but I'd rather her be with me. I'm lucky she's not selfish. I'd give up everything, all of this, just to make her happy. But she'd never ask me to do that. I hope I can make this up to her when I come home at Christmas. But first I have to survive the next 3 months without her. _

_PS. Mitchie, I know you're reading this. And don't worry. I was hungry, too._

I blinked away the tears that were falling. That explained a lot. I sighed. He understood completely what I meant. That I couldn't handle talking to him. He was amazing. He really was. I quickly shut down my computer and crawled into bed. I heard Caitlyn some time later, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts pretending to be asleep.

Classes started the day after the next. Time started passing quickly. I hadn't talked to Shane much. But when I tried to hold back the sob, he heard. He whispered something about being hungry and told me to go eat. He meant go cry because he would be, too. Nate finally explained to me what Shane meant every time he said he was hungry and to go eat. I had understood it as our way of getting off the phone, but hadn't really grasped what he meant.

"He starts crying every time he hangs up. Some times he's crying pretty hard, other times it's just a few stray tears." Nate spoke quietly since Shane was sleeping not too far from him.

"He does?" I asked.

I imagined Nate nodding as he said, "Yup. He's not the only one of us who cries, though." He admitted.

"I'm not the only one crying, either." I replied.

"I wouldn't know." He answered. "She doesn't indicate anything of the sort. Neither does Stas."

"I don't know about Stas, but Caitlyn does." I told him.

"As long as she's not bottling it up." He sounded defeated. "I just wish she'd open up."

"She's not going to let you see her weak." My phone started beeping, indicating another call. "Oh, Nate, Kev's calling. He's taking me to the Grey's for the weekend."

"Okay. Tell Caity I love her. Bye." Nate said.

"Bye." I waited until Nate hung up and the call switched to Kevin's call.

"I'll be there soon, go wait outside." Kevin's voice slide across the phone.

"Sure." I replied, hanging up quickly.

We'd already been in classes for 3 weeks. Caitlyn and I would have been drifting if it hadn't been for Faith. She was constantly dragging us out together. Kevin was picking me up for the weekend though. I wanted to see Jacob. I was missing Shane terribly. His diary was getting a bit depressing to read.

As I stood outside waiting for Kevin, one of the other members of my dorm approached me. He was tall, blonde, and arrogant. It was clear he was an athlete. He was also complete scum.

"You're Mitchie, right?' He said attempting to be suave.

"And you are?" I asked.

"Gavin." He smiled. "You're the one with that pop star, right?" he asked feigning innocence.

"Maybe. What of it?" I asked politely.

His smiled turned lecherous as he leaned closer to me. "You shoulda waited 'til you got to college to pop your cherry, _baby_. Then maybe a _real_ man coulda done it and not that _fag_." He smirked at me.

"A real man, huh?" I said with a fake smile. I bit my lip flirtatiously. "Like you?"

His smirk grew. "Yeah. I can still show you what you're missing if you want…" He offered.

I looked down, checking my urge to puke. I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes. "Well… if _you're_ a real man…" My smile dropped into a snarl. "Then I'll take my _husband_ any day. At least he doesn't hit on married women because he can't get it anywhere else."

"Fucking bi-" The ass started to reply.

"Mitchie!" I heard Kevin's voice call. He jogged over to me. Man had he grown. I hadn't paid much attention to him over the summer because of the wedding, but that boy was working out. He'd grown a few inches, too. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Hi, I'm Mitchie's brother-in-law, Kevin." He wasn't usually this friendly.

"I'm Mitchie's… friend… Gavin. I live in her dorm." Gavin spoke with fake enthusiasm.

"Where's Cait?" Kevin asked, ignoring Gavin mostly.

I shrugged. "You know Cait…" I said laughing slightly. "Probably forgot or something."

"Well, call her." I moved away to call Caitlyn's phone. I couldn't hear what Kevin said to Gavin, but I could read his lips pretty good. Something along the lines of 'I see you near her or hear about you bothering her, I will hurt you.' I smiled. Kevin… my hero.

"All good?" He asked coming back toward me.

"Yeah, she forgot," I said, hanging up my phone. Not even a minute later, Caitlyn came running out of the dorm and stopped short in front of us, bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go. I need real food." She sprinted toward the car.

Kevin laughed following Caitlyn toward the care. "Kevin." I called after him.

He stopped and looked back at me curiously. "What's up?"

"I need you to do me a favor." I said quietly.

He gave me a look to say 'continue' but I didn't. "What is it?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later." I whispered as we got closer to the car.

"Mitchie are you going to go to a doctor while we're away for the weekend?" Caitlyn asked as she leaned against the Jeep.

"No." I said quickly.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked.

"She's been throwing up like crazy. I think she might have the flu. Or Shane withdrawal" Caitlyn answered, teasingly lightly.

"Ah. You'll be all better by the end of this weekend if Mom has anything to say about it." Kevin assured me.

I smiled tightly. They had no idea what I thought was wrong with me.

When we got to the house, Caitlyn went up to the guest room and crashed for a while. I followed Kevin up to his room.

"Spill. What's wrong?" Kevin demanded.

"I need you to drive about half an hour from here, find a small town, and go to the pharmacy there." He looked at me oddly. "I need you, to pick up something." I said quietly.

"What?" He asked curiously.

He waited patiently as I grew the courage to say it. "A pregnancy test." I said barely audible.

His jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, what?" He replied.

I glared. "You know damn well you heard me."

"Can't… Nicky do that for you? Or Caitlyn? Wait, Cait thinks you just have the flu." Kevin looked at me puzzled. "You didn't tell her that you think you're… _pregnant_?" He whispered the word, quite aware that I wanted it to be a secret.

"No." I hissed. "I don't want her freaking out and telling Nate who might tell Shane." I sighed. "I don't think so, but I need to know for a fact, ya know?"

"You should tell Shane." Kevin advised.

"I don't want to tell him until I _know_ yes or no." I replied. "I don't want to freak him out for no reason while he's across the ocean from me."

"Fine. As long as you tell him."

"Thank you!" I hugged him suddenly, surprising him. I pulled back laughing softly. "One of these days, we so need to have a _normal_ conversation."

"Tomorrow. We'll talk about the weather. Okay?" Kevin teased.

"Sounds good. I hear it's supposed to rain." I replied.

"So, when do I have to go?" He asked returning to the original subject.

"As soon as possible." I replied. "I'd like to know by the end of the weekend, but I know you have a life, so…" I trailed off as Kevin grabbed his keys and his wallet.

"I'll be back later." He promised.

"You're the best, Kevin. Seriously." I replied.

"What are brothers for?" He asked shrugging. I smiled as he smiled back. "I'll come find you when I get back, okay?"

I nodded and he left the room. I headed to Shane's room and took a nap. Jacob was hyper at first, but laid down next to me after a while.

Thoughts of being pregnant and what that would mean filled my head as I awaited Kevin's return. I silently prayed God didn't think it was time for me to have a family yet.

* * *

My laptop is totally named Jason. I was going to name it Joe… but my exboyfriend's name is Joe, so that was a no. And then I thought Shane, but again I know a real person named Shane and he's a dick. But I don't know any Jasons, so Jason was a perfect name. And yes, I name inanimate objects of the electronic kind. I even scared inanimate objects. Right, El Stupido? Haha.


	28. Chapter 28

Please note: None of your reivews/opinions/threats/bribes, etc. can/have dissuaded/persuaded me from my original idea with Mitchie's potential pregnancy. Lol. I have my reasons and I have my ideas. Remember, trust me? And kudos to all of you who yelled 'wait's she's on the pill!' lol. It's like the purity ring thing from ATCR. And, I've officially thought of the end for LKG and roughly where AINE would pick up. And I know I still owe you the other POV's. Those will come after or as I write them. AINE might not happen for a few weeks even if I get LKG done soon. And we're almost at 1900 reviews. 1 chapter and I have almost 100 reviews. I realized part of the reason LKG has so many more than ATCR is partly due to the fact that I updated multiple chapters a day and that people didn't review to each chapter. But, either way, LKG's review count is seriously impressive. Thanks everyone!

* * *

Chapter 28:

All of my worries slammed into me while I slept. There were thoughts on everything. What would happen to school? What would Shane do? Was it too soon? I eventually did find peace in my dreams. Shane was bouncing a tiny curly haired baby while I smiled at them.

"Mitchie." I heard Shane's voice whisper to me. "Wake up." Foggily, I opened my eyes.

"Shane?" I whispered hopefully.

A soft chuckle resounded that wasn't Shane's. "Not quite." Kevin said.

I sat up groaning. "You two sound a like when I'm sleeping."

He laughed again while handing me a bag. "Here."

I smiled. "How awkward was it?"

"The guy at the counter gave me this look like, _man-she's-got-you-whipped_. And this lady like Mom's age gave me this look like _I'm-glad-my-teenage-daughter-doesn't-know-you_. And then there was this nice old lady who apologized and said it must be hard, but I seemed like a responsible young man." He shook his head. "I tried telling them it was for my sister-in-law, but that made it worse. They must have thought I slept with my sister-in-law."

I awed. "I'm sorry, Kev. But thanks. I appreciate it. I'm gonna go take these. Could you… could you wait until I know?" I asked nervously.

He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed while I headed into the bathroom. I waited patiently -okay, as patiently as someone in that situation could. Finally, the test were done.

With shaky hands I lifted the first one. Kevin had bought me 6 or 7 of them. _Just to be sure_. Negative. I let out a small squeal, but not much. None of them came up positive. I squealed loudly.

"Mitchie? Are you okay? What does it say?" Kevin's worried voice came through the door.

I threw open the door and hugged him. "I'm not!"

He sighed in relief. "That's good. Maybe you _should_ go see a doctor then. If you _are_ sick."

I waved it off. "Nah. I'll be fine."

"You sure?" He asked, uncertain.

"Absolutely. Thanks, Kevin." I hugged him one last time. "I'm going to try to call Shane, now." I said.

"That's my cue. And don't forget- tomorrow, the weather, you and me." He moved his finger between us.

I smiled. "Wouldn't miss it." I promised.

It was odd how close I'd gotten to Kevin. He was pretty shy around people at first, but man… once you get him to open up. He's a completely different person.

I smiled as he closed the door behind him. I fidgeted with my phone. What was I supposed to say to Shane? _Hey, baby, I thought I was pregnant, but I'm not. Just wanted to let you know._ Yeah, that didn't seem like a good idea. Calling him overseas wasn't a big deal. Yeah, there were probably some huge fees, but Shane didn't seem to care. Needy, remember?

"Just get it over with." I mumbled to myself. Jacob nudged my hand, almost telling me to call Shane as well.

"Hello?" Nate's voice rang through the phone.

"Nate?" I questioned.

"Mitchie? Shane's peeing. But I didn't want him to miss you calling him." Nate informed me.

"Oh. Well, thanks?" I wasn't sure how to answer him.

"Give me my phone!" Shane's voice came through desperately. "Mitchie?"

"Hey." I said softly.

"Hey." He replied almost breathlessly. "Not that I'm complaining… but to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked.

"Can you… go somewhere private?" I asked.

"Yeah, hold on." I laughed to myself as I heard Nate and Jason complaining while moving around. My guess was Shane kicked them out of the room they were in. "So… what's up? Unfortunately, I only have about 15 minutes to talk."

"That's okay. I, uh, I've just been sick…" I opted to ease into the subject.

"Did you go see a doctor? What if it's the pill? You _are_ still on it, right?" Shane asked worriedly.

"No, I didn't. I didn't even think of that. Actually, I jumped the gun and thought I might have been pregnant…" I was met with silence and then a loud _clank_, meaning Shane dropped the phone.

"S-sorry." He stuttered once he picked up the phone. "D-did you say, pr-pregnant?"

"False alarm." I assured him. "But, it made me think a bit…"

"I want you to go to the doctor." Shane cut me off. "Look what happened to Cait. Please, for me, go?" He almost begged.

"Fine. I will." I sighed.

"So, it got you thinking?" He asked, returning to the subject he'd cut off,

"What would happen?" I asked. "These are things we should have discussed. I mean… the pill isn't 100 percent. And that 1 percent it doesn't work for tends to be because of bad reactions like Cait or high frequency of sex… we had a _lot_ of sex on our honeymoon."

"We would… I don't know. Honestly, I don't have those answers. But we'd get through it. We'll get through whatever comes our way… together."

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise. And do me a favor? Exhaust all other possibilities before you jump to pregnant again?" He teased slightly.

"Absolutely. Oh, thank your brother by the way." I said.

"Why?" Shane asked confused.

"Some jackass was hitting on me outside the dorm while I was waiting for Kev to pick me up… and Kevin totally came over and threatened the guy. And he… may have… bought me the pregnancy tests."

"Kevin bought you the pregnancy tests?" Shane was trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

"Well, let's see… Cait doesn't know and neither does Nicky… I couldn't ask either of them to go anyway, nor could I ask Stas… I didn't want to ask your Mom…" I explained.

"You two are getting a long more then?" Shane seemed hopeful in asking that.

"We have a unique relationship, Kevin and I." I replied.

He laughed once more. "That you do. So, you're at my parents'?"

"Yeah. All weekend. Jacob's pretty happy." I smiled, scratching Jacob behind the ears.

"How is he?" He asked.

"Good. Say hi." I moved the phone down near Jacob. He barked into the phone. I heard Shane laugh while speaking to the dog. "I hate not having him with me at school." I pouted.

"I hate not having you with me on tour." He replied, sighing. "Baby, times up. I've got to go get ready for the show."

"Good luck." I replied. "Love you."

"Love you, too. And go to the doctor!" He laughed as I hung up.

Mrs. Grey came into my room not too long after I got off the phone. "I made you an appointment at our doctor's for tomorrow morning." She informed me.

"Kevin?" I asked.

She shook her heard no, slightly confused. "No, Caitlyn."

"Oh. Okay." I smiled as she left.

I decided to check the diaries, to see if anything new had been posted. Nate's post was first, so I clicked on it.

_Now this is something I never thought would happen: Meeting future-in-laws on an European tour. Poor Jason. Lol. I'm thankful Caity's only got her parents, really. There weren't too many family members to meet so far. But, the tour is going great. Our fans are amazing as always. We're looking forward to seeing the rest of you. Personally, I'm missing Caitlyn, but there isn't much I can do about that. I'm trying to focus on our tour since she's focusing on school. We all have our priorities, right?_

I frowned. Nate seemed slightly bitter towards Caitlyn. I made a mental note to talk to her about that. Shane's had been updated next, so I checked his.

_Being the married one, I've met my in-laws already. But I've also met her entire family. It wasn't easy for me based on my image and the fact that half of her family could talk about me in a language I didn't understand. Jason… has it worse than I did. I had Mitchie with me when I met her family. Jason will be meeting Stas' family when we stop in Serbia. Without Stas. Ouch. But I will be there for him. Promise. I know Jason and I know in-laws. That's one dangerous combination. I was graced with amazing in-laws. So, Serbia, be kind to Jase. He may be a nervous wreck when you see him._

I gasped. Poor Jason. We knew Anastasia parents were immigrants. They ran away from Serbia when her mother got pregnant with John. Anastasia warned Jason that if he ever met her grandparents and extended family, he'd have a lot expected of him. They eventually forgave Anastasia's parents, but they were still fearful of what Anastasia life would be like as an American. We all assumed Anastasia would be _with_ Jason when he met her family.

Anxiously, I opened Jason's entry to see what was going through my dear friend's mind.

_Help! I have to meet my girlfriend's family -like entire family- without her. Most of them don't speak English and I don't know any Serbian. This is going to end badly. I know it is. I thought Stas was kidding when she said her mother told her grandparents that we'd be in Serbia soon. I can't believe this. I have to meet the Dragomir's and the Cvetojevic's. I can't even pronounce the second one and Nate just spelt it for me. There is no way I'll be able to talk to Mr. D's father. He speaks Russian and Serbian. No English. And if he does, I'm screwed. The man knows _three_ languages and I barely know one! I love Stas and all, but I really don't want to meet her family without her. She's convinced that it'll make a good impression if I can meet them without her. But honestly? I'm scared. Of course, it would figure that the first real conversation I have with my girlfriend in three weeks is about me meeting her family. No offense Serbia, I'm not really looking forward to arriving there._

Poor Jason. He also seemed a bit bitter with Anastasia. I hoped Shane wasn't bitter towards me. Then again, I was the only one really showing my emotions toward my husband. The other two were keeping them bottled up tight.

I decided I would talk to Caitlyn later and opted to call Anastasia. I imagined she didn't have much of a life on a Friday night. "Hello?" She answered, laughing.

"Hey, Stas." I replied slightly confused. It was kind of loud on the other end. "What's up?"

"Mitchie?! Oh my god! We haven't talked in two weeks! I'm actually at my friend's apartment, hanging out." She explained. The noise level dropped, indicating she'd left the room she'd been in.

"I hear Jason's meeting your family." I said.

I could practically hear her grimace. "I know. I'm not too happy about that. But Momma already told them he'd see them if he could. It'll look really bad if he can't." She sighed. "They've been trying to hook me up with _good Serbian boys_ for as long as I can remember. They don't like that I live in America or that I'm dating an American celebrity."

"Ouch. I can imagine. He seems kinda depressed though." I commented.

"_Mitchie_…" Anastasia sighed in warning.

"I'm just saying. You could, I don't know… email him? I mean, email Shane or Nate, too, so he might actually be able to read it… but still. Tell me honestly that you don't miss him?" I asked.

There was a pause before she answered quietly. "I do miss him." She admitted.

"Let him know that." I advised. "And don't worry, Caitlyn's going to get the same speech."

She laughed. "Good. And what about you Mrs. Grey? Have you talked to your husband lately?"

"I have. I just talked to him not too long ago." I replied, sticking my tongue out at the phone.

"That was mature. And yes, I know you stuck your tongue out. I know you, Mitchie." Anastasia laughed. "And when did you manage to talk to him? Shouldn't they be going on stage soon?" She asked.

"Yeah. He only had about 15 minutes to talk when I called, but I needed to talk to him." I said softly.

"What's wrong? What was so important?" She asked alerted.

I bit my lip. Do I tell her? I sighed. "I thought I might have been pregnant, but I'm not. But, it freaked me out and I needed to talk to him about it."

"Ah. So it was just Shane-withdrawal?" She asked completely serious.

"I am not physically going through withdrawal of my husband." I replied pouting.

She laughed full out. "Uh huh. Riiiiight. I believe that. Oh, Mitchie, I have to go. I'm apparently being rude." I laughed at her tone.

"Bye." I said.

"Bye!" She replied.

As I went to press the end button, I accidentally pressed speakerphone. Anastasia hadn't hung up either, assuming I would. I heard her conversation with whomever told her she was being rude.

"Who was that?" A guy demanded softly.

"My best friend Mitchie." She replied with a smile evident in her voice. "I miss her." I smiled brightly.

"Who did she ask if you missed?" He asked.

"What?" Anastasia asked confused.

"You said 'I do miss him'. Who is _he_?" He explained.

"Oh. Jason, my _boyfriend_." I could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Oh, right. _Him_." He scoffed.

"You knew he and I got back together. I told you that when it happened." Her voice was suddenly hard.

"Right, I forgot. Sorry. _Silly me_. I didn't think the pop star could handle you being away at school. Thought maybe you'd break up again." He was sarcastic, but not like Anastasia. She was usually more playful in her sarcasm. His sarcasm seemed almost dark.

"_Bray_." She warned. "Don't pull this shit again. I told you it was a mistake. I was upset. I thought you understood it was a one time thing."

"We'll see about that." He replied.

"You have guests you're ignoring." She replied coldly.

"Whatever you say." He scoffed again. I assumed he walked away because it was suddenly quiet. I was fairly certain I heard crying, but I wasn't sure. Against my better judgment, I finally hung up the phone.

There were a lot of questions in my mind. Who was that guy? What were they talking about? And most importantly, why was she crying? I sighed, knowing I had other things to worry about at the moment than a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear in the first place. I'd ask Caitlyn what I should do later.

I woke up at an ungodly hour for a Saturday morning after a fitful night's sleep. I don't like doctors, in general. They scare me. They have the ability to tell you that a simple cold is really AIDS. Okay, not that extreme, but you get my point. I found myself sitting bored in the examining room, alone.

"Hello, Ms. Torres." The doctor smiled at me as he entered.

"Actually, it's Grey." I corrected him. "I got married 6 weeks ago. I'm sure my information still says Torres, though."

"Grey? As in Nicky and Kevin Grey?" Dr. Masis asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I just married their older brother, Shane." I was being polite, but I was growing impatient.

He nodded and did that whole doctor thing of looking at your chart and not really speaking to you. "So, what brings you here?"

"I've been vomiting a lot, sleeping more, trouble focusing…" I answered.

"That sounds like it could be a number of things. However, I'm leaning towards one of two things mostly. Pregnant or Freshman Disease." He laughed.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"You're a college freshman, correct?" He asked. I nodded. "Some students have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings and the stress of college. Especially if they've recently adjusted to a different lifestyle then the one they grew up in. For example, the student who moves out when they graduate until college starts. They might get caught up in living on their own then reality and responsibility hits them fairly hard. It's rare that this happens, but it can. You mentioned you were married for 6 weeks?"

"Yes." I replied, confused.

"So, both options are fairly plausible." He hmmed to himself again.

"Not really. I'm on the pill and I've taken 6 home pregnancy tests." I explained.

"Well, we'll do the official blood work just to check. If you are on the pill, it's possible for the tests to come up negative." My face paled. I'd already told Shane I wasn't. What was I supposed to do if I was? "I'm going to say it's more of separation anxiety from your husband, who I'm assuming doesn't go to school with you?" He asked.

I nodded. "He's actually on tour in Europe at the moment."

"Ahh, that's right. He's in a band." Dr. Masis scared me a bit, personally. Does he scare you? "We'll get that blood work done and get back to you. In the mean time, try to fight off any naps you're body wants to take and try taking an anti-acid for the vomiting. For concentration, avoid caffeine." I nodded. "The nurse will be in a bit to draw the blood. Good-day, Mrs. Grey." I smiled at my name. I still wasn't entirely used to being called Mrs. Grey.

I found myself nervous once again, curious as to whether or not I was pregnant. Once again questions were filling my mind. What was I going to tell Shane if I was pregnant after all? Could I sue the pregnancy tests for giving me the wrong answer? No, it doesn't say it's 100 percent accurate. I was really hoping I was just suffering from separation anxiety or something similar. Who knew that being away from Shane could really make me ill?

* * *

And haha. It was pointed out to me that Jason rearranged is Jonas. So, I still get my Jonas reference without actually admitting it. Forgive me, but my OJD/ JB obsession is a closet obsession. I don't openly admit to it in public. Usually. Lol. But Joe is still my favorite despite not being able to name my laptop that. Stupid prick of an ex.


	29. Chapter 29

It's a tad short, and I apologize. Between packing and what not… gah. Packing for college is so hard. At least for me with the sudden bout of ADD and the continuous asthma attacks lately. And, ugh, I have to be ready by 4 am Saturday morning to drive up to CT. I'm totally sleeping in the car but… grrr… and I have to be packed by Friday morning because my brother is taking all of my stuff up in his truck Friday Night. So, don't be surprised if you don't get an update until next week. Oh, and this was typed on my laptop, which has Word, whereas my computer has Works… so… it was aggravating to type. My computer is getting dissambled in the next day or two, so… I just couldn't leave you guys hanging with the 'OMJ is she really?' Haha enjoy.

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Chapter 29:

I glared at Caitlyn and Anastasia while they laughed hysterically. We were out to lunch roughly a week after I went to the doctor. I'd gotten my test results in. Silly me decided to share the news with my best friends. Faith and Elisha joined us as well. Thankfully, they were being polite and attempting to hide their laughs.

"You really have Shane withdrawal!" Anastasia snorted through her laughter.

I glared once more. "At least I miss my husband." I shot back at the hyenas.

They both sobered almost immediately. "That was low." Caitlyn replied.

"We do miss them. We just don't worry about it." Anastasia argued.

I sighed. "I never said you had to worry about it. Do you ever read their diaries?" I asked. "They're both pretty upset by the sound of it."

"They are?" Caitlyn asked in a small voice.

"Yup." I nodded. "Jason thinks Stas is ignoring him again, and Nate thinks you're getting sick of him again."

Anastasia and Caitlyn glanced at one another. "Maybe she's right…" Anastasia sighed.

"Probably." Faith interjected. "I know from being a military girlfriend. A lot my boyfriend's buddies go crazy because of their girlfriends or wives."

There was a slightly awkward silence that passed between us. Elisha cleared her throat. "So, the guys have diaries?" She asked.

We smiled. "Tour diaries." Caitlyn explained. "Blogs basically."

"Ah." She nodded in understanding. The subject changed from there, but the awkward silence didn't continue.

Caitlyn and I had just gotten home from lunch when my phone rang._ Uncle Brown_. "Hello?"

"Mitchie!" Brown's voice called through the phone. "I've a favor to ask you." He began.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I need you to sing." He replied.

I stopped walking. "What?"

"Milo has an amazing song writer he's found, but he can't find anyone with the right voice for the songs. The writer can't sing. I was looking at the songs and you came to mind."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"As a heart attack. Please, Mitch. Shane-a, Shayna really needs this." He practically begged.

"Send me the lyrics, and… I'll think about it." I decided.

"Excellent. Shane-a, will be very happy to hear it." Brown quickly said good-bye.

"That was weird." I commented to Caitlyn. I turned to see her staring at her phone, waiting for Nate to call. "You _could_ call him. You know, maybe even a missed call and a voicemail would make him feel better?"

She nodded and continued to stare at her phone. Sensing her hesitance, I sat at my computer and put headphones on. Of course, there was nothing coming through them, but she didn't need to know that. I began typing my paper that was due in two days.

Finally, I heard her speak. "Nate-" Her voice seemed to crack. "I know you're probably on stage right now. But, I just… wanted to talk to you. Tell you how much I miss you… I know I don't tell you that enough. I-" I wasn't sure but I thought I heard her choke back a sob. "I'm sorry if you thought- thought I didn't. I love you, Nate. So much." I could clearly hear her sobbing into the phone now. "I'm sorry." She closed the phone and continued to cry.

"Caitlyn." I sighed, rushing over to her side. "It's okay. Let it out."

"I didn't- didn't want to break down…" She whispered softly through the tears.

"I know. But sometimes you need to." I reminded her, letting her cry on my shoulder.

She eventually fell asleep and I finished my paper. Her phone rang an hour or two later. I answered it since she wasn't moving too much in her sleep. "N-"

"Caity?" Nate's hoarse voice cut through the line.

"No, it's Mitchie. Caitlyn cried herself to sleep. And she's still knocked out." I spoke softly.

"Oh." It was obvious he'd been crying, and might have been still. "Is she okay?"

"No. She admitted she didn't want to break down, which is why she never gave in to missing you and caring. It was easier for her to just swallow all of it."

"I hate to be selfish-" He began.

"I'll wake her up." I said smiling softly to myself. "Caitlyn…" I spoke louder than had been on the phone. "Cait, wake up. Nate's on the phone."

"Nate?" She asked sleepily. I handed her the phone.

"Caity?" I heard him ask.

"Hey, baby. Did you get my message?" She asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you that message- You did?… Oh. Well, then I'm glad I did… I miss you, too… I know. I love you. Good night."

"That was short." I commented.

She smiled. "He could tell I was still tired. He just wanted to thank me for leaving him the message and to tell me he loves me and misses me."

"Go back to sleep. I'm going to call Shane soon, so don't be surprised if I'm not in here if you wake up." She nodded sleepily and fell back to sleep.

Shane beat me to the phone call, though. My phone rang just as I stepped outside of my dorm. "Hey, pop star." I answered happily.

"Hey, baby." He replied. I imagined a soft, exhausted smile gracing his features based off of his tone.

"You sound tired." I commented.

"I am." He replied.

"Go to bed." I told him softly, not wanting him to stay up because of me.

"Can't yet. I need to catch up with my wife. She's been ignoring me for a week." He teased.

"She had a paper to write." I teased back. "Pop star, paper. Pop star, paper." I said lifting my hands like a scale though he couldn't see. "Paper is more important, my love."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He laughed softly. "I just miss you." He sighed.

"I miss you, too." I replied. "But… at least I tell you that." I reminded him.

He laughed. "Ironically, I'm the least mopey out of all three of us."

"I know. You have a good wife." I teased. "And don't you forget it."

"Never." He laughed. "I'll die before I let you go."

"That's nice." I replied indifferently before laughing. "God, how much longer until your home for Christmas?" I whined.

"A few months still, baby." He replied. "Still have all of October and November. But I will be home in December. December third to be exact." He sighed.

"That's exactly two months from Sunday. Tomorrow." I said depressed.

"Only 8 weeks." He said sighing as well. Desperate to change the subject, he started talking about Jason's pending meeting with future in-laws. "We're meeting the extend Anastasia family tomorrow. Oh and did you know that we've been saying that wrong? We say Ana-stay-sha like… the Disney movie… nope it's Ona-sta-cia." He explained. "Makes more sense as to where Stas comes from."

"Yes, it does. Why do you know this? And Stas said Anastasia herself." I replied.

"Her cousin, who will be our 'translator' so to speak, warned us that if we call her Stas, we may get kicked out immediately. The one family is like uber strict against nicknames. And he suggests that we pronounce her name their way and not the American way to avoid being stupid Americans."

I moved my phone from my ear and looked at it in confusion. Placing it back on my ear, I asked, "Did you just say _uber_?"

"Too much time with Jason." He mumbled. "Anyway…"

"You're all meeting Stas' family?" I asked.

He mhmm'd. "We have an interview with Riley tomorrow morning for a Serbian newspaper, then we'll be staying at the Dragomir's. It's hard to tell who's more scared, Jason or Nate."

I was confused. "Why is Nate scared?"

Shane laughed. "We found out that Stas' grandfather is part Russian. Nate evidentially has a fear of Russians. Something about his grandfather and a bedtime story about Communists…"

I laughed fairly hard. "Seriously? Wow. He has some serious complexes." I shivered.

Shane heard me. "Where are you?" He asked.

"Outside." I answered.

"WHAT?!" He yelled through the phone. "It's late… and dark… and cold… and a college campus… and there are such things are rapists and muggers in Boston, Mitchie!" Shane panicked while yelling at me. I rolled my eyes amused.

"It's a closed campus. I'm right outside the door to my dorm. There is a security guard looking at me every minute or so. Relax." I attempted to ease his fears.

"Is it a male security guard?" I heard the jealousy slip into his voice.

"Shane…" I warned.

"Sorry. I just hate that all those college guys get to see you every day and I don't." I could practically hear him pouting. I also heard him stifle a yawn.

"Go to bed, baby." I instructed. He began to protest but I silenced him. "I need to go to bed, too. Go."

"Alright. Alright. I'll call you tomorrow before we head over to the Dragomir's. Goodnight. Love you." He relented.

"Love you, too. Night, Shane." I fell asleep with a bright smile on my face that night.

When I woke up the next morning, the dorm room phone was ringing. "Hello?" I asked groggily.

"Room 303? You have a visitor at the security desk." The security guard informed me.

"Who?" I asked.

"He says Uncle Brown?" The security guard replied.

"Uncle Brown?!" I sprang up in my bed excitedly. "I'll be right down." I hung up the phone and threw on clothes.

After leaving Caitlyn a note on her forehead, _just for the fun of it_, I ran down the stairs to the main door.

"Uncle Brown!" I hugged him tightly.

"Ello, poppet." He replied, hugging me back. "Thought I'd hand deliver these." He handed me a large envelope, no doubt containing the lyrics to the songs he wanted me to sing. "What do you say, I grab my guitar and you hear some of them?"

I nodded enthusiastically and followed him out to his truck. We sat in the courtyard near my dorm. Brown started strumming music that sounded almost familiar. Like I knew the style.

I stared at the lyrics in front of me as he played, going through it once in my head. Once I had the general rhythm, I began singing.

"_Once upon a time, I found myself. But somewhere along this way, I've lost it all again. I used to know where I was going and who I wanted to be. Now I just float and drift… lost at sea. Here's my SOS, help me please. Woman overboard toss me a line. I'm starting to drown. Help me, help me. This ships going down. Sinking faster than titanic."_ I finished the rest of the song as well. I bit my lip and looked over at Brown. "So, how was that?"

"Perfect. I think the writer wrote it specifically for you." He smiled. "Now, can I get you in a studio to record these?" He handed me the stack of songs.

"Sure. Why don't you see if there's a local studio you can use and we'll meet up there?" I offered.

"Excellent." Brown smiled even more. We spent a good portion of the morning out in the courtyard playing. He eventually left, promising to be back next weekend to take me to record.

Shane hadn't called me yet, by the time the interview should have been done. I was bored, so I checked the usual stupid gossip, seeing who's career they were trying to ruin now. HotTunes caught my attention the most.

Caitlyn came in the room just in time for obscenities to spill from my mouth. Why, you ask? Because Riley is stupid. That's why.

_After being asked the same question for the seventh time in one press conference, Pop Star Riley McCartney finally snapped, giving reporters the answers they wanted. When the final reporter asked Riley, "Are you dating Mina Lorenzo?" who is an up-and-coming actress that Riley's been seen with, he yelled, "No, I'm not dating Mina. I'm not dating Tara. I'm not dating Kylie. I'm not dating AJ. I'm dating Nicky, okay?" At Riley's admission, both his face and the members of Connect 3's paled considerably. McCartney was reported to express a few expletives almost immediately, as well as Shane Grey. This leads us to only one conclusion. Riley's dating Grey's younger sister, Nicky, who is two years younger than Riley. Now, we're curious as to whether this coincidence of similarity to Grey and wife Mitchie is due to Riley and Shane's shared pop stardom, or is it a Grey family trait for older guys to date younger girls? Either way, we have a new couple to watch._

"Oh my…" Caitlyn began.

"God." I finished. "Nicky is going to flip when she finds out."

"I'm already calling a cab." Caitlyn promised, and was sure enough, calling a cab.

Shane finally called while we were in the cab. "Hey, sorry I didn't call sooner. I was dealing with-"

"Riley telling the world about him and Nicky?"

"HotTunes?" He guessed.

"HotTunes." I affirmed. "We're on our way to your parents' now."

Shane sighed. "She's a mess." He admitted. "He called her as soon as the interview finished and she blew up at him."

"Oh, no." I sighed.

"We really don't have time to talk though, because we have to go to Stas' family's house. Petar just picked us up." He spoke apologetically.

"Okay, well, we're almost at your house anyway. Let me know how it goes with the Dragomir's?" I asked.

"Yeah. Love you." He replied.

"Love you, too. Bye." I hung up not waiting for his response.

When we entered the house, the first thing we noticed was the shattered cell phone on the floor near the wall. Edging our way up to Nicky's room, we found Kevin awkwardly trying to console his sister.

"Thank god!" Kevin sighed in relief. "Nick, Mitchie and Caitlyn are here." He quickly ran across the hall to his own bedroom.

"Hey." We said cautiously.

"I hate him." Was her immediate reply. The bitterness was clearly evident in her anger. "He's so stupid. How could he let that slip? He couldn't just say, I have a girlfriend and no it's none of those sluts. Stop asking?"

"It's not that easy, Nick." I reasoned.

"Reporters are ruthless. Look at what happened to Mitchie barely a month ago." I glared at Caitlyn as she brought up the pictures. She shrugged.

"They'll stop at nothing. And obviously, Riley was sick of hearing all of those possible girls when he knows he's with you." I offered.

"I don't think I'm ready for this. I don't think I'm ready to publicly date a celebrity."

I sighed. We were in for a long night.

* * *

Small cliffy. Sorry. I want Demi's CD! Like now… and I was watching an interview she did and she was like, I had to ask JB to help me write songs for my target audience because I wasn't trying to attract metal/rockers, etc. It made me laugh since Mitchie needs Shane's help to write happy music anymore. Lol.


	30. Chapter 30

I know I said you wouldn't get an update until next week most probably, but I got 2000 reviews around 5 o'clock, ish, I think. I was so excited I felt I owed you guys a new chapter. It's short again, but not as short as it originally had been. I managed to extend it without filling it. Yay me. Lol. And, I love Allison. I really do. She's awesome as a friend and a reviewer. Like, totally. You guys owe her a bit for ATCR and LKG and even parts of AINE. Fine, fine. I'll tell you what AINE is. Just because you guys got me 2000 reviews. And It Never Ends. Now, let's be dorks and read all of the titles of this unnamed series together. After the Credits Roll, Life Keeps Going, And It Never Ends. Haha. I'm a dork. And btw, as a character, I love Nicky. I think she's the 'truest' character in the story. Like, she's stayed pretty much to her ATCR roots. You'll see. Mitchie's got balls! Haha. And Jason Dragomir? What? Haha, go read!

* * *

Chapter 30:

It took us three hours to convince Nicky she was overreacting. Because, really, she was. Her main argument was he shouldn't have told them.

"Like you've never said anything in the heat of the moment?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Nothing like that. You say things like, I hate you. In the heat of the moment. You don't tell the world about your _secret_ relationship. It's a SECRET for a REASON!" She was yelling at us.

"Nicky, did you ever think that maybe Riley is getting tired of having to lie? I mean, they've linked him to some pretty amazing people. Pretty soon the gay rumors start, the playboy rumors start… and it hurts you just as much as it hurts him. Honestly tell me it doesn't hurt to think that their could be a basis for those rumors? Tell me you've never thought, _well_ there _is_ a pretty convincing picture of them… or something like that?" Caitlyn asked. One thing I love about Caitlyn is she pulls no punches. She won't sugarcoat what she's suggesting. She tells you flat out, whether you want to hear it or not.

"So? Now not only do I have people being my friends because of my brother, I have the few friends I _did_ have pissed I didn't tell them about Riley. And they want to meet him when he comes home, 'since it's out in the open and all'. Riley just ruined my life." Nicky replied darkly.

I didn't think before I reached out and smacked Nicky. Caitlyn gasped and Kevin came running across the hall at the sound that echoed.

"That boy has done nothing but love you and put up with all of your selfishness, Nicky. You hated me for doing the same things to Shane in the beginning. How _dare_ you be a hypocrite. He's put up with you for a year and a half now. Don't you dare say he's ruined your life. _You _said yes. _You _wanted to keep it a secret. Riley's been keeping a secret that's clearly been eating at him for so long. Riley's not the type of guy who lies and keeps secrets. It eats at him every time he does. I'm so sick of hearing how much you're hurt or how much he's upset you! Did you already forget everything that occurred prior to my wedding? How much _you_ hurt _him_?

"Don't even say you didn't know it would be this hard. You knew what it was like to have your brother as a celebrity. You've seen what I've gone through with my boyfriend, fiancé, husband, as a celebrity. If you really think you're too immature for this relationship, don't you even think of breaking up with him while he is in another country, another continent. Not now, while he's on tour, and now has to deal with all of the press that's going to come with his slip up. He will do anything you ask him to. Stop being selfish and think of your boyfriend for once, Nicky."

I took a deep breath as I finished yelling at her. I hadn't meant to. I was just getting really sick of Nicky's spoiled attitude. She and I may have been on much better terms than when we first met, but she was still a spoiled brat. She was selfish and never thought of anyone's feelings but her own.

I heard Kevin behind me attempting not to laugh. Caitlyn was still staring at me in shock, unable to believe I just did that. Nicky? Nicky was looking at me as if I were the devil.

"Get out." She hissed.

"Gladly. Let me know when you grow up, Nicky." I stood up and pushed past Kevin who was still laughing.

Caitlyn followed a moment later. I was sitting in Shane's room petting Jacob. "Shane is going to flip when he finds out you hit his sister." She commented. "But I think if you hadn't, _I_ would have." She admitted laughing. "Did you see her face?" She started rolling on the bed.

I rolled my eyes as Jacob started rolling on the bed with her. I loved my dog, but he was a little weird. I pulled out my cell phone to call Shane. I knew he was with Anastasia's family, but I needed to tell him before Nicky did. Somehow I knew she'd twist it.

"Hey, baby, I'm-" Shane answered,

"I slapped your sister." I cut him off, speaking quickly. I was wincing in anticipation.

He didn't disappoint. "What?! Like, playfully slapped?" He said hoped.

"No, like full on bitch slap slapped." I explained. "I didn't mean to… she was just… gah, she's so selfish and hypocritical and spoiled and-" Shane cut me off.

"She probably deserved it. She's… honestly being a bitch about the whole Riley thing. I know she's my sister and all, but… I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place on this one." Shane admitted.

"So, you don't hate me for slapping your sister?" I asked timidly.

He laughed at me. "Not at all. I can't, and neither can Kevin. Although Kev called when you got there. He said he wanted to slap her but he couldn't." He chuckled before sobering up again. "She needs someone to put her in her place. Mom doesn't, Dad won't, and Kevin can't. I'm not around enough to. By the time she started being a real brat I was off touring."

I sighed. "I just feel bad- Cait, put him down!" I noticed Caitlyn spinning my fullsized dog around the room. She pouted as she set him down. Jacob whined and pawed her leg. "Anyway, I didn't want to be the one to do it."

"Sorry, baby." He replied. "Well, so far, the Dragomir's like Jason. The Ceva's do to."

"The who?" I asked confused.

"Her mother's family. I can't pronounce their last name." He admitted.

I laughed. "Okay, well that's good. How's Nate handling the Russian grandfather?"

"Surprisingly alright. Until he said something in Russian and Grandmother Dragomir yelled at him for cursing in front of company. He spazzed for a moment until Petar reassured him it had nothing to do with Communism." Shane laughed.

"You're boyfriend is insane." I told Caitlyn. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Cait's there?" Shane asked.

"Yeah. She's playing with Jake." I replied.

"Can I… talk to her for a sec?" He asked.

I shrugged and handed Caitlyn the phone. She looked at it oddly but took it anyway. "What? Yeah… This morning… Nope. I don't think so. He didn't say anything to me about it… Will do. Bye." She handed me the phone back.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Just wanted to ask her when she talked to Nate last." He replied. "He, uh, seemed fidgety." Shane is a crappy liar at times. This was one of them.

"Right. We'll go with that." I replied.

"Okay, Nate's starting to spaz again. I'll call you later, okay?" He said changing the subject.

"Sure. Love you." I said.

"Love you, too." I hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" I asked Caitlyn.

"Nothing." She replied.

"_Cait_." I warned.

"Just asked me about Nate. Okay?" She replied. She wouldn't look at me, so I knew she was lying. Again, I let it go. Whatever they were up to would come to surface sooner or later.

"Fine. Want to head out?" I asked.

She nodded and called us another cab. We went to say good-bye to Kevin.

"We're leaving." I said leaning in his doorway.

"She hates you." He laughed in reply. I looked over my shoulder at her closed door and shrugged. "Anyway, I'll see you next week for dinner?" He asked.

"Yup. We'll be here." Caitlyn replied.

"Good. Savannah misses you guys." He explained.

"Right, _Savannah_." Caitlyn teased. "Not that Kevin misses us."

"I never said I didn't, Cait." He replied.

"Bye." I said, breaking the staring match and hugging Kevin. He hugged me back and then Caitlyn.

As we were heading down the hall, he called out. "Mitchie!"

"What?" I asked turning back to look at him.

"Did you get those results?" He asked, shifting his eyes to Caitlyn for a moment.

"Just separation anxiety." I assured him.

"Good." He replied and headed back into his own room.

We got the front door and yelled good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Grey.

"Mitchie! Wait a moment." Mrs. Grey called out coming out to talk to me. "I have a serious question I need to ask you."

I looked at her confused but nodded for her to continue. "What is it?"

"Did you take pregnancy tests last week when you were here?" She asked. My mouth opened a few times before I was able to speak.

Caitlyn, however was able to yell, it seemed. "What?" She shrieked.

"Yes?" I replied to Mrs. Grey. She sighed in relief.

"Thank god. I wasn't sure if it was you, or Nicky or Savannah taking them in Shane's bathroom. I haven't checked the garbage in there since the last time you were all here." She explained.

"No, it was me. I had Kevin go to the store for me, so you can check with him. I'm not covering for either of them." I assured her.

"I trust you. Aw, my Kevin is such a sweetheart. Just like his brother was at his age." She awed.

"Yeah, he's a lot like Shane, just minus the jerky pop star attitude at times." I agreed.

"Well, that was all I wanted. Enjoy school." She smiled and hugged each of us.

Caitlyn didn't say a word to me until we were back in the safety of our own dorm room. Then she exploded. "You thought you were _pregnant_ and didn't tell me?!"

"I didn't want you to tell Nate, who would tell Shane, who would freak and do something rash like cancel the tour." I explained. "But I found out, and I talked to Shane about it. Everything is fine, now." I assured her.

"You know, for being best friends, almost sisters, you like to keep me out of the loop _a lot_, Mitchie." She replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Cait…" I sighed. "It's not intentional. Kevin and Shane are the only ones who knew. It's not like I _am_ pregnant and didn't tell you. I just didn't see the point in telling you when I wasn't."

"You still could have told me that you thought you were." She argued.

"I know. I'm sorry. But please, can we not fight right now?" I begged her.

"Yeah. I have a paper I didn't do last night to do." She sat at her computer and began typing, ignoring me. I sighed and laid down on my bed.

I grew bored rather quickly since Caitlyn was generally ignoring me. I couldn't blame her for being mad and she was legitimately working on a paper. But it irked me that she's making such a big deal out of it.

I decided to go online since I was done with my work for the next few days. When my homepage opened, I saw that Shane had updated his page.

_It's pointless to even lie anymore. Riley agrees. Personally, I'm stuck between a rock and hard place. I never realized how true that statement can be. My sister -who yes, is dating Riley. Has been for a long time now- is beyond upset. She didn't want to deal with all of the crap she's watched Mitchie and I go through. But she's taking it out on Riley, which isn't fair. I give Riley credit for waiting until he did to finally snap. I was getting ready to tell them he was dating my sister, just so they'd stop asking. _

_I want to support my sister, but at the same time I think she's wrong. Yeah, it's hard to be publicly dating someone when you're famous. But, hiding it makes you feel like your ashamed. I know I've never wanted to hide my relationship with Mitchie, and I know Riley only hid their's because she asked. I don't want to doubt my sister, because I know the reason she isn't willing to own up to her relationship is because she doesn't want the world thinking she's using him or anyone using her. But, I'm wondering if she can handle this relationship. 16 is a rough age to deal with all of this._

_And she's fighting Mitchie and Caitlyn on this. They've been there, they understand, but she's so stubborn. Family trait, I know. It's just… tour is hard enough without having to deal with my sister and wife fighting as well as my opening act being completely depressed. Riley's like another brother to me at this point, and it sucks to see him as depressed as I've been in the past. I just wish there was a way I could fix this for my sister._

I had to smile. Shane was always looking out for his brother and sister. Even when he knew his sister was being a bitch, which he admitted, he's still concerned about her. I loved my husband so much. He was amazing.

By the time I finished reading Shane's both Nate and Jason had updated theirs. I checked Jason's first, curious as to how he was dealing with the whole having met the family thing.

_That was painful. Like, seriously. I wish Stas had been here. They were watching me like I was a deer they were about to pounce on. I think I made a good impression. I definitely looked better than Shane and Nate did. Nate looked like a wounded duck half the time since he was afraid of Grandfather Dragomir. It's so weird to refer to people as Grandfather and Grandmother. It seems so formal. But I didn't dare risk saying Grandpa or Grandma or something. Grandfather Dragomir is scary. I like that name, though. Dragomir. It's a cool last name. Maybe I'll change my last name to Stas' instead of her taking mine. Haha. Jason Dragomir. Somehow it doesn't sound as cool as Anastasia Dragomir. Anastasia Bishop… maybe Anastasia Dragomir-Bishop. Yeah, that sounds better. Like, Mitchie sounds cool as Torres or Grey… I mean, Michaela Grey sounds better than Michaela Torres to me, though. Oh, Stas Bishop. No, Stas Dragomir sounds better. Oh my god! What if I'm not supposed to marry Stas because her name doesn't sound awesome with my last name? What if she won't marry me because of that? Woah! When did I start thinking about marriage? Okay, I'm going to go talk to Shane now because I'm freaking myself out._

My jaw hit the floor somewhere around Anastasia Bishop. I laughed at first with the Jason Dragomir. Jason would be the one to change his name instead of his wife. But then he started getting serious with that and it shocked me. Poor Jason just realized he wanted to marry Anastasia, in a blog, where all of his fans would be reading it. Only Jason.

Hoping to see something less dramatic, I clicked on Nate's wearily.

_Russian's scare me._

I laughed out loud, startling Caitlyn. I was laughing too hard to speak and motioned for her to read the single line that Nate had posted. She laughed as well, and the tension between her and myself melted. I had her read Jason's post and she was also shocked.

"No way." She replied.

"Way. I'll let you know what Shane says tomorrow." I promised her.

"I'm going back to my paper, then. Can you order pizza or something? We missed dinner." I nodded and order pizza.

* * *

So, Jason's entry started as something serious. Like, he was really going to talk about meeting the family and what not, and I started thinking about how much I love Richelle Mead for giving her characters cool last names -Vamprire Academy, which is where I stole Stas' last name from- like Dragomir, Belikov… and then it spawned. I love writing Jason's thoughts. I get to ramble. And there is always fun referrences. Like the multiple POV chapter of ATCR when he mentions Snow White, or the Jelly Sandwich in the last one. Haha. I heart Jason! I guess naming my laptop Jason was a good idea.


	31. Chapter 31

Okay, so here's the deal,_ if_ I don't update, you know why. But it's 2:51 in the morning and I couldn't sleep because I had the story on my brain, as has happened many a time. I know if I didn't write a new chapter, I wouldn't have gotten any sleep. So, this chapter is dramatic, to say the least. I hope it doesn't jump around _too_ much. I think it flows from subject to subject fairly easily, _but_ I know some parts are a bit choppy. It's almost 3 in the morning, forgive me. Lol. And don't hate me for the end of the chapter. I have my reasons. And I've come to the conclusion that LKG will be roughly 40 chapters. Maybe less, maybe more, but… roughly. Don't worry, I still have plenty to fill AINE with.

* * *

Chapter 31:

The media _really_ hates us, I believe. Our little _clique_ if you will, came under a lot of fire over the next few weeks. It started with the Riley/Nicky problems on Sunday. Monday, the world had read Shane's blog, as well as Nate and Jason's. Each brought their own problems. Yes, even Nate's hilarious diary entry.

_Nate Frances hates Russians? According to his tour diary, it seems that way. When meeting bandmate Jason Bishop's future in-laws, Frances seemed rather uncomfortable around the part Russian grandfather of Anastasia Dragomir. How are Russian fans going to react to this? Hopefully, they'll forget by the time the members of Connect 3 make it to Russia after their Christmas break. That is, if President Belikov allows the trio into his country. It wouldn't be the first time Russia has banned entertainers from performing._

See? A simple statement based on a childhood fear, twisted way out of proportion. Nate _tried _to fix it. "I didn't mean to offend Russia, or any of our Russian fans. I promise. When I was a child, my grandfather who was a World War II vet, told me a bedtime story that my mother forbade him doing so. It was a war story, of course, about the Communist Army. Since then, I'd had a fear of the Communist Army. It was meant as a joke, because meeting Stas' grandfather brought back my old fears, and the guys were making fun of me for it. I sincerely didn't mean to offend anyone." Yeah, that didn't go over much better.

_Frances continues his anti-Russian remarks, blaming his statement on a childhood fear. His problem seems to be with Communism only. This could cause more problems for the members of Connect 3 if other Communist countries start revolting. Although, most of the countries are currently in Asia, it could put a strain on the possibility of an Asian tour for the group._

Yes, Shane, Nate, and Jason were threatened about an Asian tour without our prior knowledge. Shane tried to help Nate this time, though. "Nate doesn't have a problem with Communism or Communists themselves. He really did have a fear of them as a child because of his grandfather. I've woken him up out of nightmares when we were teenagers about them. It subsided until Mr. Dragomir spoke in Russian, saying something that sounded similar to a quote mentioned in Mr. Frances' story many years ago. Most likely, to our unaccustomed ears, the Russian words sounded alike, though Stas' cousin assured us it wasn't the same. Nate's diary entry was solely for humorous purposes."

Well, that got the press off of Nate, mostly. Sadly, it turned the press onto Anastasia and Jason. But at the same time all of the drama with an anti-Russian Nate, there was the Anastasia-Jason long distant argument. That was fun to witness.

Anastasia barged into our dorm room -we're still not sure how- and started talking a mile a minute. This was early Monday afternoon, the day after Jason's rambling entry.

"So, I've been trying to rationalize this for like, 3 hours now. I've missed both my morning classes, and I'm going to be missing my afternoon class." I wanted to interrupt and ask what possessed her to have that many classes on one day, Monday no less, but kept quiet. "Did you read his blog?" She asked. We nodded, not wanting to speak. "What am I supposed to say to that? Not even a month ago he tells me he's not ready to get married-" It was more than a month ago. "And then out of nowhere he's worried about how our names sound together? I know he can be insane at times, but this? _This_ is really insane." Caitlyn and I shared a look, deciding who would speak first. Before we got the chance, though, she started speaking again. "I mean, does he really think I wouldn't marry him because Anastasia Bishop doesn't sound good? And it does. To me. Mrs. Bishop." She got this giddy look on her face as her mind drifted. I imagine the look was similar to how I looked the night before my wedding.

"Stas? You feeling alright?" I asked, casting a worried glance at Caitlyn.

"What?" She asked, coming out of her day dream.

"What's the problem if you _clearly_ aren't against the idea of marrying him?" Caitlyn asked.

That started her up again. "Because he hasn't even called me and mentioned anything about it. The whole world knows he wants to marry me before I do? And we aren't ready to get married. He was freaking out about where we would live, how can I expect him to handle this?"

"Um, exactly?" I offered. "It's Jason. Serious thoughts aren't good for him. He's probably still rationalizing everything with Shane and Nate first. Making sure he isn't freaking out for no reason or something. _And_ he's still with your family."

"Yeah, that'd be an awesome conversation. _Jason, Grandmother Dragomir wants to know why you look constipated?_" Caitlyn began.

"_Oh, because I just realized I want to marry your granddaughter and you are still watching me like I'm your prey._" I replied.

"_Oh. Grandfather Dragomir says he's going to kill you._" Caitlyn teased.

"My grandfather would not. I don't know why Nate's so afraid of him. He's like, the sweetest man I know." Anastasia argued.

"Because Nate has a fear of Communists." I explained quickly. "And maybe to his granddaughter, he's the sweetest man in the world. When a young, American, entertainer wants to marry his young, beautiful, unfortunately raised American granddaughter… he's probably not going to be too sweet."

She huffed as she sat on my bed. "Whatever. I still can't believe he wrote that. It's not like he couldn't delete what he wrote and posted something else." She mumbled.

Caitlyn sighed. "They're trying to give their fans a true inside look into their lives. And do you honestly expect Jason to think that much?" She asked.

My phone rang before she could answer. "Hey, babe." I answered.

"Hey. Did you read-" He began.

"Yes. Stas is here now, freaking out." I explained.

"Jason's the most on edge I've ever seen him. He just told her family he wants to marry her." Shane sighed. "Accidentally."

"He what?!" Anastasia yelled. "Give me that phone, _now_." She demanded. I was scared, so I did without hesitance. "Shane, put him on the phone now." She put the phone on speaker, knowing she'd be screaming and yelling a bit.

"Hello?" Jason answered hesitantly.

"YOU TOLD MY FAMILY?" She yelled. I winced, and I was sure Jason, Nate, Shane, and anyone within a 15 foot radius of the phone did as well.

"Accidentally." He replied in a small voice.

"You told your fans, the _media_, and my family before you even _mentioned_ this to me." She continued yelling.

"It's not like it was on purpose!" He yelled back. "I was just thinking of how cool your last name is… and it got me thinking. Shut up, Nate!" He yelled as Nate tried to conceal a laugh. "It's not like I've been sitting here thinking about it and just told the world, so I've been thinking about asking Stas to marry me. It was more of I realized, I _want_ to marry you. I never said I was proposing anytime soon. Nate told Cait he wanted to marry her. Do you see him proposing? I don't." He argued.

"Exactly, Jay, told _Cait_. Not the WORLD!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, okay? What would you like me to do about it?" He asked. "It's not like I intended on doing any of it. It just _happened_. I can't undo it, so what is the point of this conversation?" He asked in desperation.

"That you didn't tell _me._" She answered dejectedly. "You should have talked to Shane and he should have told you to talk to me, and you should have talked to me. You shouldn't have let me read it on your blog." She admitted.

"You've never read it before. You said you didn't have time. That I tell you everything when we talk anyway." He said softly as well. "I didn't think you'd read it." He admitted.

"Yeah, well, Mitchie said you were kind of hurt and stuff, so I read it, hoping she was wrong. I don't want you to be mad at me while there's an ocean between us. I just, I didn't want to risk us having nothing to say when you called. If I already read it, then you wouldn't have anything to say. And once I told you, yeah, I've been busy with this paper and that project, oh I hung out at so and so's dorm for a little while to relax, the conversation would be over. I really don't have a lot of time to talk to you, so I want to make sure I can make the most out of when I can." She explained.

It was shocking to see real emotion coming from Anastasia. That explained a lot about the first break up as well. Anastasia was afraid of the distance taking its toll and tried to prevent it by keeping their time to talk short.

"Oh." Was Jason's only reply. "I never thought about it like that. Why would you ever worry that we'd run out of things to say? We talk about nothing all the time when we're home."

"When we're _home_, that's okay. Because you're holding me while we're having random conversations about the Power Rangers or why ice cream gets named the way it does." She sighed. "It's not the same when you're miles away."

"It makes me feel like I_ am _home when we have those conversations." He replied.

"But that empty feeling I get when we get off the phone after them kills me." She whispered back.

"I know." He agreed. "I'm sorry, Stas. I didn't mean to not tell you. I just, I didn't want to freak you out."

"I know. I'm sorry I freaked. Do you honestly think I wouldn't want to marry you because you think Anastasia Bishop doesn't sounds _as cool_ as Anastasia Dragomir? Who do you think I am, Tess?" She questioned, lightening the mood.

He laughed. "God, I hope not. I don't know what I was thinking. That's just me for ya."

"Yeah." She smiled. She groaned playfully. "What did my grandparents say?" She asked.

"That I seemed like a decent young man, but that they didn't quite trust me yet to marry their granddaughter." He sighed.

"That's my grandparents for ya." She imitated him. "Now, if you were Serbian or even Russian, they'd love you."

"But Nate would be afraid of me if I was Russian." He replied seriously. Nate began objecting, but it didn't do much good.

Now, you must be wondering. I said Shane brought the heat onto Anastasia and Jason, right? Well, Jason already started it with his entry.

_Do we hear another set of wedding bells for the members of Connect 3? Jason Bishop, through a very confusing tour diary, came to the conclusion he wants to marry his on-and-off girlfriend Anastasia, Stas, Dragomir. The two split in November of last year, after a nine-month relationship, and reunited a few months later. After Bishops endless string of girlfriends, that is. The true reason behind the split was never found, so we can only question how long they will stay together this time. Will they make it through Dragomir's school year again? Or will they not even make it to an engagement? One thing is for sure, though. Michaela Grey does have a nice ring to it._

Of course, I rolled my eyes at that last part. But, that was just the beginning of Jason and Anastasia's problems. At first, they opted to not address the story. Let people think what they wanted. But Shane's comments brought the attention back, in a very unwanted way.

_Is Connect 3 connecting with Communists? While one member of Connect 3 seems to fear them, another seems to be embracing them. Jason Bishop's soon-to-be-fiancée is possibly related to Russian communists still holding a grudge from the Cold War, perhaps?_

Jason attempted to stop these thoughts as well. "Stas was born and raised in America. Anything her family in Serbia does is their business. They _aren't_ Communist's bent on brining back the glory days of the Russians, though."

More political drama was written, but we ignored most of it. Especially Shane and I. Nicky and I still weren't speaking, and Shane had also slipped in his blog that we were fighting.

_Drama in the Grey family already? The newlyweds have only been married for roughly 5 weeks and Grey's sister isn't happy with her sister-in-law. The cause of the fight is believed to have steamed from the recent discovery of Nicky Grey's relationship with pop star Riley McCartney. While McCartney seems relieved to have his relationship out in the open, Grey seems to be highly upset over the fact. Clearly, sister-in-law Mitchie disagrees with her. Mitchie and Shane have had their relationship out in the open almost from day one. Though they didn't out-right state it, they didn't do much to hide it, either. Mitchie embraced the media butting into her relationship and the couple promptly sat down for an interview to discuss their relationship. Nicky, however, doesn't seem to be following big brother's lead. Grey and McCartney have been hiding their year and half long relationship from the world. Nicky is reported to be acting like a spoiled brat over the entire ordeal, and only Mitchie is calling her on it. With problems like this so early in their marriage, we're worried how long Smitchie will manage to stay together. In the end, will Shane side with family or the woman he loves? Only Shane has that answer, and we're dying to know._

Shane refused to comment on anything being reported about Nicky and I fighting. The boys tried to focus on their tour and only their tour. The girls and I tried to focus on our school work. We were prisoners of our campuses, as reporters were staked outside the gates, waiting for us to leave. Campus security and local police kept them off campus for security purposes, but we could see them. It was upsetting and stressful.

My system had really been off lately. I honestly couldn't tell you what day it was in October, just that it was October. Did our teachers care that our lives were being pried apart? Nope. Most teachers ignored it, some gave looks of sympathy as they handed back the C paper we were trying so hard to get an A on, and others just told us that was life and to deal with it. School was getting to me, the reporters were getting to me, and missing Shane was getting to me.

My only outlet? Allowing Brown to take me to the recording studio on campus. He managed to convince the director to let him use it since it was too dangerous to take me off campus. I didn't care what I was singing at that point. I just needed to sing, and let out everything that was stressing me out.

I recorded basic tracks of all eight tracks that day. My throat was sore and I was exhausted, but I felt a lot better than I had. I went to the bathroom while Brown finished up. When I came back, I overheard his phone call.

"All 8." He said. "I swear. She did. Her throat has to be sore, believe me. Her voice will definitely be hoarse later." The other person spoke, thought I couldn't hear. "Yes, Shane, I swear. She has no idea you wrote the songs. She thinks Shayna did… I may have slipped up and said Shane and corrected it…" He continued speaking as he turned around to move something. "Honestly, she has no… idea…" He trailed off as he realized I was listening to him, glaring. "Or, she might."

"What?!" I clearly heard Shane yell.

"Good luck, mate." Brown handed me the phone. "Let _him_ explain." He quickly scurried off.

"Start explaining, _now_." I demanded. I was upset, I was stressed, I was hurt, I was tired, and I was angry.

"Baby, calm down, please." He begged slightly. "It's not what it seems like-"

"Really? Because it seems like my husband and his uncle tricked me into singing again." I cut him off.

"We didn't trick you-" He began.

"Yes, you did, Shane. Brown said Shayna wrote the songs. Not Shane Adam." I replied. "Why would you do this?"

"I just wanted you to sing again." He exasperated. "I wanted you to sing because you wanted to. I was hoping that if you had songs to sing that maybe you would sing more and that maybe you'd start writing songs like your old stuff." He sighed. "I tried to write them like you would have."

"Why didn't you just ask me? Or tell me? It wouldn't have been that hard. _Baby, I wrote a song I want you to sing_. Not that hard, Shane." I explained.

"Yes it is! It is that hard. You won't sing. You would have said no. Tell me you didn't enjoy singing today? Tell me you weren't smiling when you finished? Tell me that you being mad it me isn't worth knowing you were happy for a little while?" He demanded.

"I did. I enjoyed myself. I was smiling. But you should have asked me." I replied.

"I'd rather you sing and get mad at me than you say no and stay miserable, Mitchie." He replied. "I just want you to be happy." He sighed.

"I _am_ happy, Shane. Yeah, I'm miserable because my husband is away on a tour, but I'm happy as I possibly can be. You aren't here to make assumptions on my moods." I snapped at him.

Then Shane did something I never thought he would. "You're right, I'm not. Forgive me for caring." He hung up the phone. I stood in shock as I looked the phone blinking with the words _call ended_. When the screen cleared, I saw what the date was. _Shane's Birthday_.

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Oooh, cliffhanger. Ya'll hate me. I know it. But once again. I gave you an update when I said I wouldn't.


	32. Chapter 32

I didn't check this. It's late. I'm tired. I didn't care enough. Sorry. Lol. But, it's long. Almost 4000 words. Lots of fighting and a tad bit of introspective on the Mitchie-Caitlyn-Stas dynamic trio. Don't ask why that's there. It just is. I tend to make characters observe or ramble when I notice something in my own writing. So, I have to be packed by tonight -Thursday- as it's 3:18 in the morning at the moment. And I'm only about half way mostly packed. Lol. But, again, I had to write.

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Chapter 32:

I don't know what was worse. How hurt I was that he tricked me or that I forgot his birthday. I know, I know. Forgetting his birthday was the icing on the cake for the kind gesture he was attempting to make. I know. But think of this from my side for a moment. He was tricking me into singing again. He may have had the best of intentions, but, come on. It was still wrong and backhanded.

But, that wasn't an excuse for forgetting his birthday. In all honesty, it wasn't the only thing I'd forgotten at that point in time. Other than my school work, I'd been forgetting quite a few things. But I needed to apologize for fighting with him on his birthday -and forgetting it.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang. I tried three times before I decided to just leave a voicemail. I was mad he was ignoring my calls. I knew they weren't performing tonight. "Hey, Shane. It's me, Mitchie, your _wife_. The one you hung up on. Granted, we're fighting, but you can't just hang up and then not answer when I call back. I'm sorry we're fighting on your birthday, and yes, I forgot because I didn't really know what day it was. But, that doesn't give you a reason to ignore me calling back. Let me know when you decided to act your age."

Maybe that wasn't the _best_ apology. But, hey, at least I called him back. He wasn't even picking up his phone. I was upset the rest of the day. Brown called and apologized, but I didn't fight with him. I told him it was fine and called it a day. I was more mad at Shane than I was at Brown. I knew he wanted me to sing as well, but it wasn't his idea. He just went along with it.

However, there was one more person that I was aware of their involvement. _They_ were getting yelled at as well. I stalked my way back to the dorms finally, after trying to calm down before exploding at Caitlyn.

When I came in the room, she looked up at me smiling. The smile faded when she saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Anything you want to own up to now before I start yelling?" I asked as calmly as possible.

Her eyes brows furrowed together in confusion. "No, I don't think so…" I could see her mind racing, trying to figure out what I meant.

"Nothing involving my husband?" I asked.

She looked at me in pure confusion. "Mitchie, just start yelling because I have no idea what you are talking about." She sighed.

"Shane tricking me into singing? I know he asked you about Brown the other day when you _both_ lied to me." I snarled.

"He tricked you into singing?" She asked. I wasn't sure if she was that good of an actress or being sincere. "Mitchie, all Shane asked me was if Brown sent you songs. He said Brown mentioned it to him. He asked if I spoke to Brown, I said no. He told me to not let you know he knew, to tell you that he was asking about Nate. He said Brown had meant it to be a surprise for him." She explained.

"Wow, he's even more of a liar. Awesome. I married a liar." I threw my arms up in the air and collapsed on my bed. I screamed into my pillow. Caitlyn didn't say anything. A few moments later, a hurried knock sounded at our door.

"Mitchie? Caitlyn? Everything okay?" Faith's worried voice called through the door. Caitlyn answered the door and Faith came in. "What's wrong, Mitchie?" She asked, sitting on my bed next to me.

"He's a liar." I cried softly behind my pillow. I wanted to be pissed off, but I was more hurt. He lied to me, he lied to my best friend and made her lie to me. What else had he managed to lie about?

"Oh, sweetie. He's not a liar." Faith tried to soothe me.

"Yes, he is." I replied. "He tricked me into singing again. And he lied to Cait and had her lie to me. I hate him." I argued.

"You do not." Faith said firmly. "You love him. Maybe he didn't tell Cait because he didn't want her telling you. From the way you've spoken about him, I highly doubt he tricked you intentionally. He was probably trying to help and hoped you wouldn't find out. Guys sometimes do things backhandedly and don't realize that it _always_ backfires."

"She has a point Mitchie. You didn't tell me something because you were afraid I'd tell Nate, who would tell Shane." Caitlyn agreed. "And, she's right. He didn't trick you to trick you. Shane's been trying to convince you to sing or a write a new song for months. You keep telling him no." She pointed out.

"He still lied." I argued weakly, knowing they were right.

"Now you sound like Nicky." Caitlyn mumbled, probably hoping I wouldn't hear it.

"I heard that." I glared at her. She shrugged unapologetically. "He's still being immature. I still have a right to be mad."

"Why is he being immature?" Faith asked.

"He hung up in the middle of an argument and then wouldn't pick up when I called him." I explained.

"Shane hung up in the middle of an argument? I've only seen him walk away from an argument that one time you were being seriously immature. What did you do?" Caitlyn demanded.

I shrugged innocently. "I may have snapped at him about not being here to make assumptions of my moods."

"That was low." Caitlyn replied. "No wonder he hung up on you."

"Anyway, is it like Shane to not work out an argument?" Faith asked.

"It might when it's his birthday and his wife forgot?" I offered.

"You _forgot_?" Caitlyn gasped. "How do you forget your _husband's_ birthday? Especially when he is amazingly awesome to you on yours every year."

"It's only been two! And so, this may be like the worst birthday ever for him, but it's not my fault entirely." I argued. "And thanks, I didn't have enough guilt on my own. Your's really helped."

"Don't get sarcastic with me. I'm not the one who forgot my husband's birthday _and_ fought with him." Caitlyn glared at me.

"No, you're the one who pushes your boyfriend away and hurts him because you don't want to break down crying when all he wants is some type of emotion from you." I threw back.

"Don't turn this around on me." Caitlyn's glare increased. "Just because you're upset that Shane's pissed at you doesn't give you that right."

"You started it." I shot back. "And I have every right to be pissed off right now."

Caitlyn was about to argue back when Faith cut her off. "Guys! Chill. Fighting with Caitlyn isn't going to make your problem with Shane go away, Mitchie. And Caitlyn, fighting with Mitchie isn't going to make your own guilt go away." She reasoned.

"What guilt?" Caitlyn asked defensively. "I'm not feeling guilty about anything. She should."

"You're feeling guilty because Mitchie was right about Nate. You feel guilty that Mitchie's been in contact with Shane more than you have with Nate, and it was therefore totally unexpected that she forgot his birthday. If you or Stas forgot their birthday, it'd been expected. But Mitchie talks to him almost everyday. You're happy that Mitchie screwed up and that you're not alone in being a shitty girlfriend/wife at the moment." Faith explained.

Caitlyn stared at the floor rather hard. She refused to comment.

"Cait, is that true? Are you happy that I screwed up?" I asked softly.

"A little. It's hard to live being compared to you all the time. Stas and I sometimes feel like we have to live up to the standards that are Shane and Mitchie." She admitted.

"I don't mean to make you feel like that." I sighed.

"I know. But you guys are so… perfect." She admitted. It seemed like no matter how many times we had this conversation, it never got through to her.

"No, we're not. Look at us right now. Far from perfect." I whispered upset.

"Because of something stupid." Caitlyn argued.

"It's not stupid-" I began arguing but Faith cut me off.

"Question." She changed the subject so we wouldn't fight again. "They're in Europe, right?" She asked.

"Yeah…" We replied.

"You realize that unless they're in the metropolitan area of whatever country they're in, it's possible they don't have service?" She offered.

"Oh." Was all I could manage to reply. "Well, then… maybe I should call him back? And maybe leave a nicer voicemail?"

"I think that'd be wise." Faith replied.

I sighed and picked up my phone. I dialed Shane's number quickly and listened to the faint ringing. "'lo?" His voice sounded slightly slurred.

"Hey, Shane…" I began.

"Oh, it's my _wife_." He cut me off, again sounding rather slurry. "Did you call to yell at me again?" He asked.

"No, I called to apologize-" I again began.

"Oh, like your voicemail. Which was just _so_ apologetic." I was positive he was slurring his words now.

Suspiciously, I asked, "Shane, have you been drinking?"

"What difference does it make? You're not here to tell me what I can and can't do! Actually, you can't tell me what I can and can't do anyway." He replied. I could hear Nate's urgent voice in the background pleading for the phone, but Shane ignored him. "I'm not there, and you're not here, so what difference does it fucking make?"

"You told me you wouldn't drink until you got home." I replied, practically in tears. Another lie, another broken promise.

"It's my fucking birthday. Of course my fucking wife couldn't remember that, now could she, Mitchie?" He asked upset.

"Shane… I've been busy-"

"Busy, my ass. Like that's an excuse to completely _forget_?" He asked.

"No. But I didn't _completely_ forget. I just didn't know what day it was. I remembered as soon as I saw the date." I tried to explain.

"You should have woke up remembering. You're phone should have had an alarm or something…" He argued, drunkenly still.

"Call me tomorrow when you're sober. Actually, don't." I hung up the phone, even more pissed off and hurt than I had been prior to that phone call.

Faith and Caitlyn stared at me in bewilderment. "What the hell?" Caitlyn finally asked.

"He lied." I whispered. "He told me he wasn't going to drink until he got back. I asked him not to because I knew, _I knew_ he'd get stupidly drunk trying to numb everything. And his stupid, spiteful ass did anyway. I hate him." I whispered brokenly as I collapsed onto my bed again in tears.

Faith and Caitlyn tried to calm me down but it didn't work. So, they called in one of two people who would call me on my stupidity and force me to calm down. After almost an hour of hysterical crying with no end in sight, that is.

"Oh, come off it, Mitchie." Anastasia's voice cut through my hurt induced haze.

"Go away, Stas." I growled.

"No. Not until you stop crying and get over the fact that Shane's not perfect and that he's just like every other guy out there." She argued.0

"Worry about your own relationship." I replied.

"I would, but ya see, my boyfriend is dealing with your drunk ass husband." She said simply.

"Too bad for you, then." I glared at her.

"Mitchie, I swear to God. Get the hell up and stop freaking crying. It's not the end of the damn world. Grow up and call him back and fix this." She threw my phone at me. "Not every problem between you two has to be fixed by him. Maybe you'll get the damn truth out of him if he's drunk."

"He's being ridiculous. No, I'm not calling him." I argued, but sat up anyway.

"Fine, I will. And I'll tell him his wife is being a spoiled little brat. I glared at her as she picked up my phone off the bed. "Just like his sister." That pushed the right buttons and I grabbed the phone from her.

"Hello?" A hesitant Nate answered.

"Let me talk to him." I sighed.

"He's… babbling incoherently at the moment. I'll have him call you as soon as we sober him up. I'm sorry, Mitchie, I know you asked me to keep an eye on him, but you wouldn't believe how persistent he was. He was pretty upset before you called, too."

"Thanks, Nate. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry. And that I love him. And that we'll hash this all out when he's not drunk or hung over. I'm beyond angry at him but I'm not a sadist." I sighed.

"I will. G'night, Mitch." Nate said in light tone.

"Night, Nate." I hung up the phone.

"Finally, she acts her age." Anastasia taunted.

"Oh bite me, Stas." I replied.

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Won't Shane be jealous?"

"Yeah, well, you _are_ like the Bride of Dracula…" Caitlyn commented.

"Ew. Bad mental picture of my husband and someone he refers to as a sister." I replied.

"Yeah, well." Caitlyn shrugged.

Faith sat at my computer giggling and smiling at us. She'd sat there for a while observing us.

"What's so funny?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A. How bipolar you are." She commented. I scowled a bit. "But b. how diverse your personalities are, yet you all have a place in your friendship. It's hard to have threes stay as tight as you have." She explained.

We stared at her oddly. In Anastasia's opinion, she was still ever so slightly an outcast. "What?" Caitlyn finally asked in confusion.

She sighed. "Mitchie and Caitlyn fought to express their own anger and hurt and guilt onto the other. They fought like sisters: take it out on the one your closest to. But when Mitchie broke down and Caitlyn couldn't get through to her, Stas was able to push her buttons until she cracked. Also like sisters: one always knows which buttons to push. Usually, Mitchie is the voice of reason, pointing out the reality of the situation. Like when she called Nicky on her crap, and even you two at lunch. You all have your places you take given the situation. Stas and Cait take turns being the blunt, sarcastic one, depending on who's involved in the main conversation."

Caitlyn, who was the first to absorb the thoughtful out look on our relationship, asked, "But, that's with Mitchie. Are you saying if it's not Mitchie we're dealing with, Stas and I can't coexist?"

Faith laughed. "Not at all! When you're the one who's upset, you'll fight with Stas, because you're so alike. Mitchie's the button pusher. Your voice of reason. When she was fighting you earlier, you were being petty and trying to rub it in, and she knew exactly what to say back to piss you off." I had to agree, it made sense.

"And, when Stas is upset?" I asked.

"Stas fights with you, because she knows you'll forgive her easier. Caitlyn can be hot and cold when it comes to her grudges. But being so alike, Caitlyn can put Stas back in place just as quickly." Faith explained.

"You've never seen Caitlyn and I fight." Anastasia reminded doubtingly. "How are you so sure?"

"I'm good at reading people. If I didn't love music so much, I'd be majoring in psychology." Faith giggled.

"You should!" Caitlyn and I replied.

"Well, ladies, I say it's time to head home, for me anyway." Anastasia said standing up. "I have to finish a paper. I was leaving Bray's when you called, so I'm behind on my writing time."

"Who's Bray?" Caitlyn asked. I never did talk to her about the phone call. I opted to keep it to myself.

"A friend." She replied simply, pulling on her jacket. "I'd introduce you to him, but he's a bit of an ass and would probably make a pass at you. Don't want the poor guy loosing his package." She smiled.

My eyes squinted a bit at her joke. "Stas, do you hang out with him a lot?" I asked.

She shrugged. "He's E's cousin. We hang out with him a bit, I guess."

"Oh. Well, be careful." I replied. She looked at me oddly. "With Jason. Wouldn't want him to get the wrong idea, right?" I replied.

"Mitchie, if there's something you want to say, _say it_." She challenged.

"No. I'm just saying. Guys overreact. Jason's sensitive. I'm just saying you should be mindful of mentioning him to Jason too much." I lied easily.

Caitlyn, thankfully backed me up. "Yeah. Wouldn't want a jealous Jason. Never seen it, don't want to see it."

"Right. I'm gonna go before one of you out right accuses me of cheating instead of backhandedly." Anastasia began stalking toward the door.

"Stas- I'm just, worried. He seems like a shifty character." I called out to her. She froze at the door.

"You've never met him, I've barely spoke about him. How can you determine him shifty?" She demanded indignantly.

"I may have overheard your conversation with him a few weeks ago. When I called you and you were hanging out with him, at a party or something." I explained, not wanting to give away too many details of the conversation.

All of the color drained from her face. "You heard that?" She asked.

"Yes. I did." I replied. "I wasn't going to say anything, but the way he-"

"Drop it." She threatened. "Please." She begged.

"Just be careful." I begged.

"I am. There's nothing going on between he and I. I love Jason, with my whole heart, Mitchie. I swear." She stared me hard in the eyes, trying to truly convey that sentiment.

"I believe you." I whispered, unable to keep her stare.

"Thank you. Now, I really have to go." She turned around and opened the door. "Night." She closed the door behind her.

"Do I want to know?" Caitlyn asked, staring at the closed door.

"No." I replied, sighing. "She hooked up with him once or something after the break up- I believe. She tried to reassert that and he was all 'we'll see' about it."

"Wow." Caitlyn sighed. "Too much drama for one night. I'm going to sleep. Night." She literally rolled over in her bed, fully clothed and went to sleep.

Faith smiled awkwardly, yet surprisingly reassuringly at me. "Everything will work out in the end. You just have to have a little… _faith_." She laughed.

"Night, Faith." I replied laughing softly. She smiled again and left the room.

I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing Shane's ring tone. It was only about 6:30 in the morning and the spiteful part of my wanted it ignore the call. I knew I couldn't and answered anyway. "''Ello?" I answered sleepily.

"Hey. It's early. Sorry." Shane whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" I asked, noticing I was as well.

"Because a. the guys are sleeping and it's early still, and b. because I have a hangover and it hurts to hear my own voice." He explained.

"I told Nate to tell you to call me when you weren't hung over." I replied confused.

"I know. I had to call you as soon as I was sober though. I was completely out of line last night-" He began.

"You weren't _completely_ out of line. But you were a bit." I cut him off.

"Still. Despite how hurt I was, I shouldn't have said some of the things I did." He argued softly.

"You had every right to. I was at fault, too. Believe me, I'm still pissed at you for the songs and for getting drunk, but you have every right to be mad that I forgot your birthday." I reasoned.

He sighed. "And that you're blowing things out of proportion." He added quietly, not expecting me to hear it.

"I know. I over reacted a bit. But you really should have asked me. Shane, if you told me that you wrote a song that you wanted me to sing, I would have. Just because you took the time to write a song for me to sing. I'd do anything you ask me to that is in my power to do. If you wanted to be sneaky or conniving, why didn't you just ask me to do as your birthday present?" I asked. "You know I suck at getting you gifts."

"Actually-" He began, and I swore I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I thought that was my gift?"

I gasped. "I can't believe you just said that in the middle of an argument. Perv."

"Damn, not even jerk. You must be mad at me." He commented.

"You've no idea." I replied.

"I'm sorry I was sneaky about the singing. Can you forgive me?" He asked.

I sighed. "It's not even the sneakiness that I'm upset about. You _lied_. To me, to Cait… you told me you wouldn't drink until you got home-"

"I was being stupid and spiteful." He cut me off. "I'm so sorry about that."

"I know. Again, not so mad about that as I am about the lies and the broken promises." I explained.

"I just wanted you to be happy." He replied. I could hear the desperation in his voice as he tried to make me understand. "Mitchie, if I thought for a second you wouldn't be happy singing again, I never would have pushed it so much. I just want to hear you sing again. I fell in love with you when I heard you singing at Final Jam. I just want that Mitchie back. Even the one who sang with me in the studio. I just want _my_ Mitchie back."

"Shane…" I felt tears spring into my eyes despite the amount I cried last night. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me for me to fix it."

"I know." He replied. "I was trying to fix you myself." After a small pause, he asked, "Can we put this horrid argument behind us?"

"Yeah. Just don't lie anymore, please? And, I'll let this promise go." I offered.

"No more lies and sneakiness. Unless it is a surprise for some reason." He amended his statement to avoid getting caught in a trap later on in life. He knew me too well sometimes.

"You know I hate surprises." I argued.

"You love them when they are from me." He shot back.

"Maybe." I admitted.

"Well, the evil thing called the sun is starting to shine brightly, so I'm going to crawl back into my bunk and ignore the guys as long as possible."

"Night, Dracula." I teased softly.

"Night, baby." He laughed back. "Love you."

"Love you, too." I replied, closing my phone.

I silently hoped this was enough drama for the time being and that my life would go back to normal soon. However, something with Anastasia didn't sit right with me. Nicky and I were still not speaking, which was awkward at dinners. School was stressing me out still. And most of all, I wasn't entire certain my marriage was going to last this tour.

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So honestly, did you like this chapter? Hate it? Indifferent towards it? I was going to save the Smitchie discussion for the next chapter, but didn't want to drag it out. Do you feel Mitchie copped out? I think she did. I think she was all 'wah, wah, wah, my marriage is falling apart already, let's not fight'. I don't know. She was very crying in this chapter. But she hasn't been like this since ATCR so maybe it's okay. Idk. Let me know your opinion on that. Peace yo.


	33. Chapter 33

OMG. I can't believe you guys would think I'd make them get a divorce. I'm appalled. Lol. I would never stoop that low. In fact, I was just setting up Mitchie's fears. Believe me, the Smitchie plans for future chapters are… bouncy. Haha. Don't ask. I won't tell. So, many of you had mixed feelings about the last chapter. You liked it, but you hated Mitchie. Or you could agree with Mitchie but you could also agree with Shane. Or you thought they were both being stupid. Welcome to real life. Lol. There's always multiple sides. And, yes I know you are all going to hate me at the end of this chapter. But, I have a teaser to piss you off more at the end. Haha. No, Mitchie isn't pregnant. I swear. There's another reason. Hasn't come out yet, okay? And ya'll are lucky my brother took my stuff early -he's taking all of my college stuff tomorrow night in his truck and me and Dad are driving up Sat morning- cause he took Jensen -the desktop- so I couldn't do anything but write on Jason. Grrr. I wanted to play with my art program too, cause I made two sketches I wanted to work on.

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Chapter 33:

Caitlyn glared at me, _again_. We'd been fighting for almost 3 weeks nonstop. The guys would be home in two weeks and nerves, emotions, stress, and hormones were ruining high.

"Are you _sure_ you're not pregnant?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "Cause all of your mood swings are _seriously_ getting on my nerves."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Cait. I don't know what's wrong or why I'm so bipolar lately." Most of the fights _had_ been my fault.

"More like multipolar." She laughed. "Something's bothering you. We never fought like this when we lived together in high school. Why are we at each other's throats _now_?" She asked seriously.

"I don't know. I just… I don't know." I placed my head between my knees, trying to control my emotions. "I can't seem to settle on one emotion anymore. I'm worried about my grades, I'm worried about Stas, I'm still fighting with Nicky which is still awkward… Things with Shane have been… off… ever since that fight… it just… it feels different. It scares me, Cait." I whispered the last sentence, willing the tears not to come again.

"I haven't seen you like this since December of Junior year." She commented. "When you cried for three weeks straight over Shane and you fighting."

I sat up and groaned in frustration. "That was simpler! I was afraid I'd lost him. I was sad. There was only one emotion. Now I'm sad, and afraid, and worried, and I'm still angry. I can't let it go. Cait, I just want to let it go." I yelled slightly as a lone tear trailed down my cheek. Angrily, I wiped at it. "God, why am I crying so damn much? It seems like all I've done for the last month was fight and cry."

"Mitchie, maybe you should go see a doctor. Maybe the 'separation anxiety' is something more serious. Maybe your like, seriously depressed or something."

I sighed. "Maybe." I shrugged. "Maybe he's right…" I said softly.

"Who?" Caitlyn asked.

"Shane… he thinks there's something wrong with me since I haven't been singing or writing music much. He says I'm not the same person I used to be. I'm starting to think he really only loves me because of his music." I paused. "Again."

"Nonsense." Caitlyn replied instantly. "I mean, he's right. You are a bit different than you were at Camp Rock, but that's not why he loves you. It's like… he fell for you as a person, and he was inspired with you as that voice. He fell in love with you when he realized that you were this amazing person and you taught him who he used to be without even meaning to. He loves you because you make him whole. He just wants you to be happy." Caitlyn tried to convince me. She did a little. "Why don't you call him? It may seem off, but the only time I ever see you smile anymore is when you talk to him or read his blog or stare at his picture."

"Yeah, okay. That's if he can answer. I think they had a show tonight." I reminded her.

"Right. Well, voicemails work, too." She said with a knowing smile.

Ever since the voicemail she left Nate were she started crying, things had been much better for them. Caitlyn was trying to express her feelings and so was Nate. They really were a dangerous combination, considering their lack of emotional expression.

I smiled and took her advice, calling Shane. I did get his voicemail._ "Hey, It's Shane. I'm probably on stage or in the middle of nowhere with no service. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. But my wife will definitely be called first, so it might be a few days. Later!"_

I smiled at the message. He changed it after our fight. "Hey, pop star." I sighed into the phone. "Cait said I needed to smile, so I called you. I know you're on stage right now, but I wanted to call you." I sighed. "I know things are off with us right now, but the only time I feel happy is when I talk to you. Just thought I'd let you know." I paused. "I love you." I hung up and looked at Caitlyn. "Happy?" I asked.

"Very, thank you." She replied laughing. She looked at the calendar hanging on the door. "Gah, two weeks still." She complained.

"Yeah. Thanksgiving is next week. I don't want to go." I whined.

"It'll be fine. You ignore her, she'll ignore you." Caitlyn tried to reason.

"That just makes it worse. I don't why she's still being a bitch about it. It was over a month ago and she's still ignoring me." I sighed. "I wish she would just grow up already."

"Have you tried apologizing for smacking her?" Caitlyn asked.

"No." I said simply. "I don't intend to. She deserved it. She needed some sense knocked into her. Literally."

Caitlyn laughed slightly. "I still can't believe she made up with Riley but still won't speak to you."

"Yeah, well. She likes to hold grudges." I commented indifferently. "She's the spoiled brat. Not me." She didn't want to start another argument, so she let it go.

Shane called me later on, while I was finishing up a paper. "Hey, I didn't think you'd be up." He commented sleepily.

"I have to finish the paper before the holiday. If I turn it in early, I can rewrite it during the break. I need an A on it." I explained, wishing I was in my bed instead.

"Ouch. How bad are your grades, babe?" He asked worriedly.

I sighed. "It varies. I'm not in danger of failing out, I'm just struggling to stay passing."

"So, what did you mean in your message? _Things have been off_?" He asked.

"Ever since that fight, I've been feelings like there's something different between us." I admitted.

He sighed. "You don't trust me." He said plainly.

"I don't know." I whispered. "I just want you to come home so everything can go back to normal."

"Nothing is ever _normal_ with us." He reminded me.

I groaned. "Humor me?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Fine. But you have to humor me on something then." He bargained.

"What?" I asked trying to ease the tension in my neck.

"Make up with Nicky?" He asked.

"Your sister is the one holding the grudge." I replied.

"You _did_ slap her." He argued.

"So? One day you're telling me, good for you she needed it. Now you're telling me I have to apologize for it because she won't let it go?" I demanded angrily.

"Baby, calm down. What is wrong with you lately? You've been snapping like crazy. Are you okay? Is school stressing you that badly?" He asked worriedly, ignoring the fact that I was being unreasonable again.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I'm sorry for snapping. Cait wants me to go to the doctor. I'll probably go over Christmas break."

"Should you wait that long?" He asked.

I shrugged though he couldn't see. "I don't know. I don't care. It's not on my top priorities."

"Which are?" He asked.

"Making you happy, surviving dinner with the demon sister, and school." I recited.

"School should be first." He corrected. "I should be last right now. Your health is more important."

"My marriage is more important to me, Shane." I sighed. "I'm scared." I admitted softly.

He quickly became alarmed. "What? Why?"

"I'm afraid we aren't going to make it out of this tour." I whispered.

"Don't say that." He commanded weakly. "Please don't think that."

"I'll be fine come December. When I see you." I promised.

"When it goes back to normal?" He asked hoarsely.

"Yeah." I answered.

"Finish your paper. I need to… eat." He cleared his throat slightly.

"Yeah. I think I need a mid-night snack, too." I replied, feeling the tears threatening once again.

"Love you." He said softly.

"Love you, too." I replied.

Despite the tears that were now spilling down my cheeks, I had to smile. Things were going back to normal with Shane.

Caitlyn rolled over in her bed sleepily and smiled. "You alright?" She whispered.

I nodded. "Yeah. Go back to sleep, Cait."

She laughed. "Gladly.

This year for Thanksgiving, my parents were coming up to the Grey's. Because the boys would be home a week later, we were saving the big feast for then. We would be having a small Thanksgiving dinner, with just my in-laws, my parents, and Caitlyn. Elisha had begged Anastasia to go with her to her family's, since her new boyfriend was coming as well. Elisha's, not Anastasia's. Elisha's family can be a bit… overbearing. Elisha was hoping that Anastasia would be able to break the tension a bit.

A week later, I was headed to my Sociology teacher's office to pick up my paper I turned in early. I was going to grab it and meet Kevin out in the parking lot. My teacher looked up as I knocked on his door.

"Hello, Mitchie." He smiled at me. "Here you go." He handed me back my paper, adorning it was a big fat F. My face fell to the floor. I had worked really hard on it.

"Thanks. Um, Mr. Van Vliet, is there something that I'm doing wrong? Like, in general with your papers? I can't seem to get past a C on them." I asked.

"You lack a personal touch. Part of sociology is observing the world we live in. Discussing it in objective terms is great, but you need a personal perspective sometimes, too. You need to be a little more _subjective_. _Personally involved_." Maybe it was just me, but I think my teacher was leering at me.

I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "That's um, difficult for me to do." I replied. "Your course takes a specialized look at sociology involving music. So, obviously, getting personal with certain topics are difficult because of my husband-"

His eyes narrowed a bit and I saw a look of disappointment flash across his face. "Who is your husband, again?" He asked indifferently, beginning to fiddle with the papers on his desk.

"Shane Grey." I replied. "The lead singer of Connect 3. Biggest pop group in the country and various others." I explained. "I'm sure you can see why writing on the way today's society glorifies celebrities and invade their personal lives is a bit touchy of a subject for me to write about."

"No I don't." He replied, looking me in the eye. Challenging me.

"For a sociology teacher you don't know much about what you're teaching, do you?" I asked rhetorically. Okay, so I shouldn't be mouthing off at my teacher, but he just pissed me off. "Maybe because I've had my life pried apart by them? Because my wedding night was reduced to a scandal? Because I've been accused of cheating on my boyfriend with his best friend, _my_ best friend. Because I've become a prisoner on my college campus because of press following me? Because Shane writes one sentence in a blog and everyone is in my business about me fighting with my sister-in-law? Because I can't live a normal life and be happily married because the media has to twist and destroy and ruin everything in mine and my friend's lives." I yelled at him by the end.

"Now, _that_, Ms. Grey is the type of passion and personal experience I want to see if your paper and hear from you in class." He smiled at me.

"It's Mrs." I corrected him. "I took my husband's name. It's Mrs."

He smiled, looked me up and down for a moment. "I'm sure. Rewrite the paper and we'll discuss it after the break."

"Thank you." I began walking away.

"Oh, and Mitchie?" He called. I looked back at him. "If you still can't write the paper higher than a C, I'm sure there are other… _options_ we can work out.'

"I plan on getting an A, thank you." I replied and walked away again.

I was seriously skived out when I met up with Kevin and Caitlyn.

"God, what took so long?" Kevin moaned in boredum.

I shoved him as I climbed in the passenger's seat, with Caitlyn in the back. "My skive of a teacher hitting on me." I replied,

"What?" He demanded, getting ready to climb out of the car and beat some collegiate butt.

"Chill. I handled it. I kind of ending up yelling at him about why it's hard for me to write some of his papers. So, now I have to show that kind of passion in my writing instead of the safe boring papers I've been writing." I explained.

"You sure I don't have to hurt him?" He asked.

"I promise." I smiled while Caitlyn tried not to laugh.

The mood had been relatively light in the car. Once I entered the house, it shifted. Nicky was in the kitchen helping our mother's cook. "Hey." I said, dropping my bag, Caitlyn right behind me.

Mom rushed over and hugged me tightly. "Oh, I've missed you. How are you?" She asked holding me at arms length to look me over.

"Fine, Mom." I assured her. I felt bad lying to her, but I didn't want her to worry.

"Where's Dad?" Caitlyn asked after going through the same process.

Mrs. Grey replied, "Steve and Dylan are in the living room watching a football game."

"Ah. That's why Kevin was complaining." I laughed as Caitlyn and I headed into the living room. We received similar greetings from Mr. Grey and Dad as we had from Mom and Mrs. Grey.

Everything was going smoothly until we were forced to sit and eat. Nicky and I hadn't spoken two words to each other. Wait, that's a lie. I said, "Hello, Nicky." And she glared. Okay, so we hadn't said _more_ than two words to each other.

At dinner, Nicky and I were next to each other. Kevin and Caitlyn smiled innocently at us as we sat. She reached across me to grab the potatoes.

"You could say excuse me." I informed her. "It's proper manners. You also could have just asked for me to pass them."

"And?" She replied indifferently.

I plastered a fake grin on my face and tried to keep things civil. Or as civil as they were.

"Nicky, would you please pass me the carrots?" I asked. She ignored me, of course. I sighed and reached across her, "_Excuse me._" I said with fake politeness.

"There isn't one." She replied with equal fakeness.

"Excuse me?" I asked offended.

"Again, there isn't one." She repeated.

"_What_ is your problem?" I demanded turning to her.

"_You_ are. Why are you even here? Shane's not, so why are forced to have you here?" She demanded right back, turning to face me head on.

"Like it or not, Nicky, I _am _part of your family." I replied. "Everyone else likes me except you. You're just pissed I put you in your place. No one challenges you or calls you on your bullshit. That's what this is all about."

"Well _you_ need put back in _your_ place. You're _not_ my sister. You don't have the right to slap me." She argued. "_No one_ has that right."

"Maybe if you weren't being a spoiled little brat at the time, I wouldn't have had to. Personally, I thought you were too old for a spanking. Maybe I should have done that instead." I replied.

"You didn't _have_ to smack me." She glared.

"You didn't _have _to be a complete and utter bitch to everyone." I retorted. "Especially not to Riley. It wasn't his fault."

"I forgave Riley." She replied.

"You shouldn't have had to." I told her. "You shouldn't have had your head so far up in the clouds that you couldn't see what lying about the two of you was doing to him."

"Like you're one to talk?" She demanded. "How often do you upset Shane? All the time. And you _always_ let him take the blame."

"I'm not the one who's too proud to admit that I overreact and that I screw up, Nicky. There's the difference. I admit I'm wrong in the end. Do you?" I challenged her.

She avoided my challenge with her own. "Tell me the last time you admitted to being wrong."

"I forgot his birthday." I replied, never taking my eyes off of hers. I knew the guilt and pain was showing in my eyes, but I didn't care. "I got mad at him for trying to get me to sing again because he resorted to secrecy to do it. I bitched at him in a voice mail on his birthday because I thought he was ignoring my calls not that he didn't have signal. See Nicky, I can admit when I'm wrong. I don't avoid owning up to it." I sighed deeply, closing my eyes. "Nicky, I don't want to keep fighting with you. I had no intentions of this getting to this point. Maybe slapping you was extreme, but it was the only way to get through to you. I won't apologize for it. Us fighting is hurting me, it's hurting Shane, and I'm sure it's hurting you."

I opened my eyes to see hers glistening. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you in the first place. I do need to grow up." Nicky said, not looking at me.

"It's okay. You're only 16. You're kneejerk reaction is to run from problems and never face them head on. You think you're right and that's all that matters. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person and let things go." I explained.

"You're right." She replied.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to piss you off by what I said that day. I just let my protectiveness get the better of me. I didn't want to see Riley get hurt again because you were too afraid." I explained.

"I was wrong, anyway. I would have regretted it if I broke up with him." She admitted.

"Are we good now?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yeah." She answered half smiling.

"Come here." I hugged her tightly. "Sometimes a big sister has to call the little sister on her stupidity. And sometimes the little sister has to do the same." I told her.

"So… now that _that's _over, can you pass the rolls?" Kevin asked. I picked up a roll and chucked it at him.

The rest of dinner went by in a blink of laughter and amusement. By the time Caitlyn and I were crawling into Shane's bed, it was almost 1:30. Just as we were about to settle down my phone rang. Seeing that it was Anastasia I answered it on speaker phone.

"Hey Stas-"

"Mitchie? I think I made a huge mistake." Her voice cracked, tears evident.

"What happened?" I asked alarmed.

"I think I cheated on Jason-"

"What?!" Caitlyn and I yelled.

"It wasn't my fault! Bray-" She tried to explain.

"I told you to be careful! This is exactly why!" I yelled at her.

"Mitchie! Let me explain! That's not what the mistake was! I think he took pictures of him kissing me… but I didn't believe him. He told me to break up with Jason or he'd leak the pictures. I thought he was bluffing, so I called him on it. Mitchie-" She was crying even harder. "His cousin handed him a camera when he came in after me. I didn't think he really had a picture. He's going to ruin everything. I don't know what to do." She continued to cry.

"I don't know either." I replied. "Cait?" She shrugged helplessly.

"Just- hope he doesn't show them, and if he does, pray Jason will understand." Caitlyn suggested.

"Shouldn't she tell him before hand?" I asked.

"No!" Anastasia cried. "I can't. He won't believe me." She whispered. "He found out that Bray was the guy I had hooked up with during the break and told me he wasn't comfortable with me hanging out with him. He said he wouldn't forbid me, because he wasn't like that. That he trusted my judgment. He's going to hate me." She cried more.

I'd never seen or heard Anastasia cry so much in my life. I sighed. I didn't know what to do. "Well, I can vouch for you. I heard that conversation, Stas."

"Mitchie, I don't-" She started.

"Let's wait it out a few days. He may not be that heartless. He may realize that he's not going to get you either way." I offered.

"You need to tell Jaosn, Stas." Caitlyn sighed, clearly disagreeing. "Don't tell Jason until he's home." She suggested. "If Bray doesn't leak the picture before hand."

"That sounds like a plan." I agreed.

"Are you guys at the Grey's?" She sniffled.

"Yeah…" We answered.

She laughed slightly. "Good, come let me in since my cab just left."

We ran downstairs and let her inside, bringing her upstairs to Shane's room with us. Shane had a huge bed, so we all fit pretty well. We finally managed to fall asleep, though none of us peacefully.

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So, I like the response I get out of you when I ask questions. Why I didn't think to do this 62 chapters ago, I don't know… Anyway: I'm not 100 percent on the Mitchie/Nicky fight but I hope you liked the Mitchie/Shane resolution. I was trying to play up every side you guys pointed out about her. So, she was seriously bipolar in places. And remember, have a little faith in me and my plots?

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Spoiler:

"_Marry me. Right now."_

"_No, not like this."_

Oooh, what couple? Naitlyn? Janastia? Who proposes to whom? Next time on Life Keeps Going.

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Haha. Yes, I'm a bitch. Because there's a slim chance of my updating tomorrow since I have to have my room clean and last minute stuff packed and be in bed early as I'm leave at 4 am Saturday.


	34. Chapter 34

OMJ! My roommate like the Jonas Brothers! I liked her a lot to begin with but… omg… we were talking about music… and I was like, I'm weird… I go from -insert various rock bands- to the Jonas brothers and she goes 'oh my god, no way! I love them, too. My friends make fun of me so bad. I was like, mine, too! So, yes, she's awesome. I love her. My dorm room is so me yet not I love it.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Not edited cause I really didn't have time and still be able to get you a chapter. This is how its going to work from now on. I will leave you a spoiler at the end, just to make up for the potential time between updates. Like a TV show's previews. Enjoy.

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Chapter 34:

"Stas! Stas!" Reporters shouted her name, trying to get our attention. "Is it true you've been cheating on Jason? Are you on another break? What about the pending engagement?" The questions flew at her.

You may have guessed, Bray has no heart. At all. And sadly, the report was released before Jason got home. But, I had the insight to given Jason a small heads up, though I told Shane the truth just in case.

"Jase, hey. Stas is going to tell you something when you get home. I'm just forewarning you that you might be informed by someone else before she gets to. It's the type of thing you don't want to share across an ocean while your boyfriend is on tour. Just, know she loves you. And don't worry about it, okay?" I explained.

"Mitchie, can you just tell me?" He asked in confusion.

"No." I replied. "It's not my place, Jase. Sorry. And don't ask Stas about it. Don't mention I said anything. I advised her not to tell you until you got home. I didn't tell her I was giving you a heads up just in case."

"Mitchie…" He sighed pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Jason." I hung up, unable to not tell him much longer.

Anastasia faced the hounding paparazzi with as much calmness as she could muster. She told them the same thing everyday for a week. "Bray is a selfish, jealous bastard who took advantage of a situation and is upset I rejected him to get back together with Jason in the first place."

In the end, it was lucky I did tell both Jason and Shane. Well, almost. He understood why Anastasia hadn't told him. He was still beyond pissed though. He called her, yelling. Not something that was known for Jason.

"How could you let this happen?" He screamed through the phone.

An already upset Anastasia tried to reply. "Jay-"

"No, don't Jay me. Damn it, Stas. This is exactly why I didn't want you to hang out with him." He continued angrily.

"Can we please discuss this when we're on the same continent, please?" She begged. "This is _not_ an argument to be had over the phone."

"Fine. I'll talk to you next week." He replied.

"Jas-" _Click_. "-on." She sighed. "He hung up on me. Damn it." She began crying. Caitlyn and I did our best to calm her down. Well, more like Caitlyn did. I was still pretty unstable in Caitlyn's mind, so she pretty much took charge of the Anastasia-Jason-Bray drama.

That was a painful week. The press were everywhere because of the boys' homecoming. Anastasia was at her breaking point. Actually, she passed her breaking point the day before they boys came home. She'd been strong, aside from crying after the argument with Jason. She was resolved not to be weak. That proved not to help her when Jason's return was mentioned.

"W-what am I supposed to say?" She asked helplessly, though not brokenly yet.

"The truth? I'm sorry, Jason, I thought he would respect my relationship?" I offered.

Caitlyn sighed. "I'm sorry, Stas, but I can be nice anymore. Time to be blunt. You're fucked. You have to just lay it _all_ out for him and pray Jason will understand. There's no way of sugarcoating this." She spoke apologetically.

"Nice, Cait." I commented sarcastically.

"No, she's right." Anastasia sniffled. "He's going to hate me even more, though." She whispered.

"He loves you. He wants to marry you. This little bump isn't going to ruin everything." I assured her. "Come on, we all fight. It's natural."

"Is that something you've learned from your most recent pointless worriedness?" Caitlyn asked, making up words as always.

I glared slightly. "Yes."

"You've never cheated on Shane…" Anastasia argued. "He's never cheated on you."

"You didn't cheat. And he thought I did." I reminded her.

"Same difference." She waved her hand dismissively. "And… he did?"

"When everything with Jason happened, he was afraid that something did happen. Not that it did, and he trusted me when I said I didn't, but I could still see that fear in his eyes. Every time I hang out with Jason alone, Shane gets this weird look in his eyes for a split second and then it's gone. He trusts me, but that shred of doubt is still there." I sighed. "But my point is, you'll get over it eventually."

"I don't want eventually!" She cried out. "I want immediately." She whimpered. "I can't lose him again." She started crying. "I started thinking about our wedding… and what it'd be like… and if we'd be like you and Shane post-wedding. If we'd be that happy married. I mean, I won't say happily married, because you guess aren't happily married. You're tormented-ly married. But you're so happy being married. I can't lose him…" She started crying silently.

"Oh, Stas." Caitlyn said, wrapping our friend in a hug. I got lost in my own world, thinking again. Caitlyn was still comforting Anastasia when Shane called me.

"Hey." His overly excited voice answered.

"Hey." I answered.

"We're boarding in a little while. We're flying into Newark, and then we'll be flying into Boston." He explained.

"Ah, that's why you're so excited." I laughed.

"Well, I'd be happier if we were flying into Boston, but Rich thought it'd be better since the press would expect us to fly into Boston to see you sooner." He said.

I laughed. "How very perceptive of them." I answered.

"Okay, well, I have to go get on the plane. Love you." He sighed.

"Love you, too." I replied. When I hung up the phone I let out a small squeal of excitement.

I don't think we slept that night. We were all on edge, waiting for the boys to land. We had our classes covered, and worked turned in a head of time. At 1 o'clock exactly, we were sitting in the airport waiting anxiously.

"I'm scared." Anastasia whispered.

"I'm excited." I replied.

"I'm worried." Nicky admitted.

"I'm apprehensive." Caitlyn answered.

"Wow. Am I the only one happy they're coming home?" I asked, looking at them all.

"No, I'm happy." Caitlyn answered. "I'm just apprehensive of all the drama that is undoubtedly going to occur." She explained.

"Yeah. I'm just worried because Riley's been acting weird lately." Nicky agreed.

"You know why I'm scared." Anastasia glared at me. I smiled.

"You're excused." I replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Flight 814 now landing. All persons waiting for pick-ups please wait until security allows you into the area. Thank you." The announcer said. We stood up and headed over to the gate. We were allowed in. The gate was being closed because of Connect 3's arrival. When they were off the plane, they would allow the other passenger's into the terminal.

We were bouncing on our feet, biting our nails, tapping our toes, and sighing every 3 seconds. Respectively, that is. I was bouncing with anticipation. Anastasia was biting her nails in nervousness. Nicky was tapping her toes while Caitlyn was sighing impatiently.

Finally, we saw the boys' bodyguard emerge, and then Rich. Our smiles grew widely. Rich said something to the person behind him, who ran back up the tunnel. A moment later, Shane, Nate, Jason and Riley emerged from the tunnel.

I took off and ran to Shane. He caught me and spun me around as I jump at him. I was giggling happily as I buried my face into his neck. He placed me on the ground and kissed me senseless. He pulled back to catch his breath, resting his chin on the top of my head as I placed my head back into the crook of his neck.

"I missed you." He mumbled into my hair.

"I missed you, too." I mumbled into his neck.

"You have no idea how happy I am to be home." He kissed my head.

"I think about as happy as I am to have you home." I replied, lifting my face to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Grey." I shivered as the words left his lips. I bit my lip try to stop the enormous grin spreading across my face. "What?" He questioned.

"I like hearing you call me that." I admitted.

"Good." He smiled and kissed me again.

By the time Shane and I had finished our reunion, the others had all caught up with one another as well.

Nicky skipped over to Riley excitedly. "Hey." She smiled up at him. He smiled at her as he reached down to hug her.

Caitlyn smiled while making her way to Nate. When she hugged him, he lifted her off of the ground, not willing to let her go.

"I missed you so much." Nate admitted.

"I missed you more." Caitlyn said teasingly.

"Nuh uh." Nate replied childishly.

"Yeah… I did…" She argued back playfully.

"Prove it." He challenged. She grabbed his face, kissing him with everything she had. "Okay, we're tied." He decided when she pulled away. Caitlyn smiled at him.

Anastasia slowly made her way to Jason. He smiled tightly at her. The smile didn't reach his eyes. He pulled her into a hug as soon as she was close enough. "I may be mad, but that doesn't mean I haven't missed you." He told her softly. "We'll talk when we get to the house." She nodded wordlessly.

Shane and I, as well as Nate and Caitlyn, were permanently attached as we left the airport a little while later. Nicky and Riley were holding hands. Jason had his hand on Anastasia's back, and her arms were folded across her chest.

The ride home was… slightly awkward. Once we were in the limo, Jason was on the opposite end of Anastasia. You could see how hurt she was by his actions, but had you looked close enough, so was he. You could see his eyes glistening when he moved.

The moment we were in the house, Jason dragged Anastasia into the fateful kitchen of the Grey House. The one where their feelings were screamed at each other all over again.

"Start explaining so I know the facts from you." He said much calmer than expected. We were all listening, and didn't bother to hide it either. We all knew that everyone's relationships were open game to the rest of us.

Anastasia sighed, sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen. "You know Bray and I… dated… when we were broken up. _After_ I found out about all of _your_ girlfriends." Shane and Nate snorted at the word girlfriends. "I was determined to get over you. So, to appease Elisha, I went out with him. We'd hung out a few times already and he seemed like a nice guy. E said he really liked me. So, we went out a on date. One thing led to another and we ended up at his dorm. We didn't have sex or anything, I promise. I wasn't lying when I said nothing happened between he and I. We made out, for like five minutes before I realized he wasn't going to be able to get the image of you out of my head. I pulled away and apologized, saying I wasn't over you. That I couldn't be doing that with him when I was picturing it to be you."

Caitlyn and I awed a bit. We never knew this because we weren't there for her at that time.

"Okay. What does that have to do with you kissing him _now_?" Jason asked.

"We stayed friends. He said he understood. E recently, as in post-Bray-being-a-jealous-selfish-egotistical-heartless-ass-bag-" We all tried to keep back our laughter, and even Jason cracked a smile. Anastasia was too caught up in insult Bray to appreciate it. "-type of recently, told me that he'd been hoping that I'd get over you and then actually date him. I didn't know this. I thought he could handle just being friends with me since… we only went on _one_ date…"

"And he just randomly grabbed you and kissed you while someone took a picture because you didn't?" Jason asked sarcastically. "Or was he hoping to woo you while I was away?"

"Did Jason just say _woo_?" Nate asked Shane, who nodded back bemused.

"No. he thought we'd break up again. But, when he heard me on the phone with Mitchie, telling her how much I missed you, he questioned it. I told him the truth, that we were still very much together and in love. And that he and I were just friends. Then he made the comment about 'we'll see' but I didn't think in to it too much. I was too busy crying and feeling guilty after he went back inside."

"He warned you? He basically handed you a warning say 'I'll get you eventually' and you _ignored_ it?" Jason raised his voice.

Anastasia raised her in response. "No! I mean, yes, but that was because I'd finally admitted how much I'd been fucking missing you and it took it's toll!" She yelled back. "I wasn't ignoring what he said."

"Are you oblivious? He was probably jealous throughout most of that conversation!"

"What the hell is your problem? You can understand when ever anyone else screws up, but you can't understand now when it's your girlfriend? What would you like me to say to you to get you to understand? I love you. It was a mistake. What else can I tell you? He wanted to talk, we did. He kissed me long enough to get a picture out of, I pulled back smacked him, yelled at him, and then he threatened to blackmail me. I wasn't going to go out like that. I wasn't going to break up with you. And if you break up with me over this, he still wins. But, I tried calling his bluff, and then he showed me the picture when one of his cousins handed him a camera. What was I supposed to do?" I yelled at him.

"You shouldn't have even been friend's with him! You should have known I didn't want you to be, but I wasn't about to tell you couldn't. You should have understood why. You got yourself in this mess, don't blame me if I leave you in." He yelled back. He sighed, trying to calm down. "I do understand it, but I can understand what I'm feeling. And what I'm feeling hurts. _A lot_."

"Jason, you think I'm not hurting? I love you and I feel like you hate me…" Anastasia said softly.

"I don't hate you. I don't know what I feel toward you, but I don't hate you. I _loved_ you. I wanted to _marry_ you. But you betrayed me. Whether intentional or not. And that hurts." He explained.

"Lov_ed_? Want_ed_? As in _past tense?_" She asked in a small voice.

"I don't know anymore, Stas." He admitted.

She thought for a moment. "Marry me." Collective jaws hit the floor. "Right now. It's the only way I can prove to you that I love you and it was a mistake, and I know I screwed up. But Jason, please. I just want to be with you. The only thing that I am absolutely sure about in this world is that I want to be with you for a very, very, long time." She was pleading with him.

We all exchanged glances as we waited for Jason's response. We were all shocked and on edge. He surprised us greatly.

He shook his head slowly. "Not like this."

* * *

So, did we like Jason in this? I know a lot of it was underplayed for the others, but… and how many of you expected STAS to be the one to propose?? That was the plan from day one. Well, not day one… but yeah. I wanted Jason to be his understanding self, but it's still an argument.

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Okay, so spoilers:

"_No one told you, you had to be strong."_

"_I want to be."_

_-_

"_As a friend, I can't let you do that."_

_-_

"_Well, Mrs. Grey. There are two different things wrong with you."_

_-_

"_I have to let you go. I can't be the reason your life is so tormented."_


	35. Chapter 35

Hey everyone. I'm not going to put spoilers this time, because I don't have time to think of them. Lol. But a big thanks to Remedy for helping with the Naitlyn-ness. And thanks to Dracos-Slytherian-Goddess for looking over this. I hate these multicouple focused chapters. They always feel really choppy to me. And of course thanks to Allison for just being herself and keeping me sane. And Remedy keeps me sane, too. Anywho, no one hate me for the break-up. It was needed. And yes, my blog says there will be janastasia baby, but this is me. Who said that they had to be together to have a baby? Hmmm? I now have to go do hw I didn't realize I had due tomorrow. See what my priorities are? Lol.

* * *

Chapter 35:

Anastasia's face faltered completely. I think that was the moment that she completely _broke_ inside, because she didn't even bother to try to hold back the sob that ripped through her. Caitlyn and I attempted to make our way into the kitchen, but the boys held us back.

"Let him explain." Nate advised. "This is Jason, so… he wouldn't say no without a reason."

We huffed but waited for Jason to explain.

"So, is this it, are we over?" Anastasia asked in a shaky voice. It was hard to watch this scene. Jason looked torn, as he wanted so badly to hold her and make her stop crying, but also needing to stand his ground.

"Stas…" He sighed. "You don't want to get married like this. I don't want to get married like this. I mean, if you said to me on a normal day, hey let's get married, I'd say, tell your family to be on the next flight in. But, not like this."

"I just want you to understand what I'm feeling here, Jay." She replied.

"I know that. But, as a friend, I can't let you do this. I can't let you make a rash decision because you're desperate to make someone understand something." Jason replied softer, some of his edge ebbing away.

"Friend? So it is over…" She sniffled as more tears came.

"No, we aren't over." He said calmly. Her bleary eyes shot to his. "I never had the intention of breaking up with you, Stas. I just… I need you to understand what you've put me through." He cast a weary look at us, shamelessly watching. "Let's go somewhere actually private and talk this out, okay?" He offered.

She nodded shakily and handed her keys to him. The two left, not saying a word to the rest of us. I sighed. "At least they aren't breaking up."

"Yeah. So, now that we're done being noisy, let's go upstairs." Shane said, already leading me there.

"And why is that, Mr. Grey?" I asked coyly, with an eyebrow raised.

He smiled. "Because I want to hold you, my dear Mrs. Grey." He teased. I grinned back at him as we headed up. We neared Nicky's room when I heard a long sigh. I looked over at Shane and stopped to listen.

"Ki… we need to talk." Riley started. Nicky said nothing, so Riley kept speaking. "I can't do this. You can't do this. I know you can't handle the distance and the press and what not. Maybe we need to go our own ways for awhile. You're only 16 and you're not famous. You deserve to enjoy your life. Get a real boyfriend who can be there 24-7 and be normal. Who knows, maybe someday we'll find our way back to each other. But, they say if you love something let it go. I need to let you go. I need to let you live your life. I was talking to Shane about this, and he admitted that the guilt of everything Mitchie goes through because of him kills him inside. I can't be the reason your life is so tormented. If this is meant to be, it'll be. I just… need to walk away."

Surprisingly, Nicky's reaction was not the one expected of our drama queen. "I understand. Thank you. You're right. I don't think I can handle this and you shouldn't have to deal with the guilt of knowing that I can't."

"I'll always love you, Ki." Riley admitted softly.

"You'll always be my first love, Ley." She replied equally soft. "Can you, not leave yet though?" She asked. "Can we… just enjoy our last time together?"

"Whatever you want, Nicky." He replied.

I looked over at Shane who looked less than thrilled about having heard that conversation.

He tugged my hand to move me back down the hallway to his room. When he closed the door, Jacob jumped all over him. He never really left Shane's room except to eat. Shane ended up on the floor with Jacob licking him like crazy.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who missed you." I teased, petting Jacob while he attacked Shane.

"Yeah, I missed him, too." Shane laughed.

I moved up to the bed and Jacob followed. Shane shook his head as he pulled himself up on the bed as well. "So, you feel guilty?" I asked, referring to the conversation we'd over heard.

He sighed, running his fingers through my hair. "Yeah." He admitted. "You knew that."

"I know. I didn't think you'd openly admit it to anyone else." I replied,

"I don't. I'm ashamed of it." He replied. "I feel like a crappy husband because of the things you've been through because of me."

"You're not." I assured him, staring him deeply in the eyes. "You're an amazing husband. Given the circumstances." It was silent for a moment. "So, why'd you tell Riley?"

"Because I know Nicky, and I've gotten to know Riley. I didn't tell him to break up with her. I just honestly answered his question. Yes, I feel guilty over it. Yes, I hate knowing your problems are because of me. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm worth what I put you through." He explained.

I leaned in and kissed him softly. He moaned gently. "You're more than worth it, Shane." I replied against his lips. He didn't say anything back, he just kissed me slowly and sensually. The rest of the world faded away.

I woke up a little while later with Shane pressed into my back. Our clothes were on the floor, and Jacob was sleeping on top of the pile. I giggled softly at the sight. Shane's lips pressed into my bare shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Perfect. Have I mentioned how much I like being married?" I asked with a giddy smile.

He chuckled. "And here I thought it was because you loved me… nope you just wanted the sex." He teased.

I giggled. "No, but it _is_ a nice perk." I yawned. "I should check on Nicky." commented.

He groaned. "But I want to hold you. I haven't been able to do that in weeks." He pouted at me as I climbed out the bed.

"You can hold me after I check on Nicky, promise." I kissed him and slipped on my shirt and his boxers. He groaned appreciatively as I left.

I made my way to Nicky's room, but Riley was still there. I smiled at them as I tiptoed back out. I was heading back to Shane's room when I heard a typical Nate-Caitlyn argument coming from the guest room. I was already way past my noisy quota for the day, but the partially opened door was entirely too tempting. I had to listen to their conversation.

"I don't understand what the problem is, Cait… why are you stressing so much?" The frustration in Nate's voice was more than evident.

"Because I'm worried about all of them, Nate. That's why." Caitlyn huffed in reply.

"They're all grown adults." Nate stated. "They can take care of themselves. And if they need help, they'll ask for it. You don't have turn into me because they're lives are a little dramatic." He slightly snapped.

"They can't ask for it! They're so caught up in their own worlds they don't notice the help being given! Stas is so confused and broken right now… it's upsetting to see someone so strong break like that." Caitlyn sighed. "And Mitchie? I don't even know where to start with her. I really hope Shane being home helps her and doesn't hurt her in the end when he leaves."

"You can't worry about all of that. You need to worry about you, Caity. I can see all of the stress this putting on you and I don't like it. I'm worried about _you_ worrying about all of them." Nate insisted.

Caitlyn growled in frustration. "You don't get it, Nate! I'm the only one who's not caught up in my own world of drama. Mitchie's always the mother hen, but she can't be right now. She's the one that needs looking after!"

"Caity, you don't _have_ to do this. Mitchie chooses to be the strong one. No one forces her. But you know, you don't have to do it alone. I'm here." Nate tried to reason, but his aggravation came through anyway.

"I _do_ have to do this. I need to be the strong one for them." She argued relentlessly. I felt bad that she felt like this. I didn't mean to make her feel like that. Her voice cracked slightly at the end, alerting both Nate and myself that there was more to it.

"There's something bothering you. Aside from them." Nate pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." She dismissed it.

"Tell me." Nate insisted.

"No! It's stupid." She mumbled. It sounded as if she sniffled.

"Just tell me, please?" He was nearly begging.

"It's not as important as what's wrong with Stas and Mitchie. It's the least of my problems and worried." She attempted to assure him it was fine, that she was strong. Nate saw straight through it, knowing it was all an act.

"Caity…" Nate sighed. "No one told you, you had to be strong." He said softly, rubbing her arms comfortably.

"I want to be." She admitted brokenly.

"You don't have to be strong." He shook his head vehemently. "Not around me. I want to be strong for you. You're the only person I can be. I don't have a little sister or brother to depend on me, I don't have to worry about the guys anymore. You're the only person I have to worry about. Let me worry about you, please. If you need to break down, just… break down. You don't have to be strong for me. Be strong for everyone else if you need to. Let me hold you up when you get weak though."

"You just want to fill your hero complex." She replied, almost bitterly.

Nate shook his head. "Not at all. I have this overwhelming need to protect you from everything. I do _not_ have a hero complex. I hate seeing people be weak because I don't know how to handle it. But you? I feel the need to take away everything that hurts you. It's not a hero complex… more like a… husband complex…" He admitted.

"A what?" She asked slightly startled. ( I LOVE THAT!! Just thought you would want a good comment)

"The thought of getting married always scared me. But, when I think about you… I don't fear it anymore. I'm not proposing, I promise. I just… I will. Eventually. When you're ready for it. I've just realized that I am, whenever you are." He sighed. "Shane getting married really opened mine and Jason's eyes. Marriage scared us, but now we see what it's like. And we've realized that… nothing's changed between them. They're just… happy."

"I'm not ready." She admitted.

"I know." He was quick to reassure her. "I just, want you to know that I am. And even thought we're only dating still, I want to be there for you the same way Shane is for Mitchie. I feel the same way about a lot of things he does. I just want to be there for you. That's all. You don't have to be strong around me."

"You don't either." She replied. "Unless, I… need you to be…" She whispered.

"And? Do you need me to be?" He asked. She nodded silently as tears slipped down her cheeks. "I love you, Caity."

"I love you, too, Nate." She replied, clinging to him slightly.

"Tell me what's wrong?" He requested one last time.

"I've never… had a family… not really. My parents were only around for 3 weeks during the summer. There's only so much family bounding that can be done in those three weeks between a single child and her parents. It scares me whenever something starts going wrong with the family I have now. Stas and Jason fighting, Shane and Mitchie fighting, you and I fighting. It gets to me. Especially Mitchie. She's like my sister. There's something wrong with her, more than separation anxiety. And I know there is. But she won't listen. She just keeps pushing it off. I'm worried about her. What if there's something really wrong with her, Nate?" Caitlyn voice was thick with the tears that were still falling.

I blinked back my own tears and felt my throat closed. I quietly slipped back to Shane's room, not wanting to listening to anymore. Shane could see something was wrong when I came back in.

He smiled brightly at me for a moment before his face changed. "Baby, you okay? What's wrong?" He asked.

"N-nothing. I'm gonna… call the doctor tomorrow. Can you take me on Saturday?" I asked as I crawled back into bed.

"Yeah. Sure. No problem." He said.

"You can hold me now." I said softly, a light teasing tone in my voice, but Shane could tell it wasn't completely sincere.

"Absolutely. And you can tell me what's wrong." He said, pulling me into his waiting arms., keeping me to him tightly.

"I overheard Cait talking to Nate." I said softly. "She's really worried about me."

"She's not the only one." He replied quietly.

"I know. That's why I'm going. When the two most important people in my life are that worried about me, well, it must be worse than I thought." I sighed.

He began stroking my hair with one hand while the other held the back of my neck, keeping me to him. He kissed my head once, but never said a word.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just… worried. Don't know what's wrong with you."

"Well, I'll find out on Saturday." I said, nestling in closer to his chest. "Hopefully."

"Yeah." He agreed softly. He held me for the rest of night we spent alone in bed. Well, Jacob was with us, but he just cuddled into Shane's leg and was content.

Surprisingly, we weren't going at it like crazy. There was more to our relationship than that. Our time was spent just cuddling and getting reacquainted after our separation from one another. Mostly, we just realized nothing had changed. The first time was the only time we had sex until after I went to the doctor's on Saturday. It was an in the moment intimate experience. Definitely not an I-haven't-gotten-any-in-three-months thing. Thursday was spent solely in our bed together, enjoying each other, but eventually our night did end.

Dad had driven up Shane's Mustang on Friday for the makeshift Thanksgiving we had that night. All was calm and everyone got along. It was nice to have the _entire_ family there. _Our_ family. Jason's, Nate's, Caitlyn's, and Anastasia's parents were all there as well. Did I mention that Jason and Anastasia came back Friday morning holding hands and smiling? Neither would tell us what occurred when they left. They just said they worked it out. Shane and Nate dropped Caitlyn and I off for class in the morning and picked us up after for dinner.

Saturday Morning, bright and early, Shane and I were sitting in a doctor's office, specifically in an examining room, waiting for the doctor.

"I'm scared." I said nervously, holding Shane's hand tightly in my grasp. He looked up at me from his chair next to the table and smiled.

"It'll be fine." He assured. "There's nothing wrong." He didn't seem as confident with his second statement.

"Ah, Mrs. Grey, nice to see you again." Dr. Masis said coming in. "And Shane! I haven't seen you since you were 15 I believe."

"Yeah, it's been a long time." Shane commented.

"Well, what brings you here today?" He asked me.

I sighed. "I still have a lot of the problems I had. But also, I've been… different for the last few months than I used to be."

"More like last year or more." Shane corrected.

I rolled my eyes slightly. "My friends and family are all worried because of it."

"Well, Mrs. Grey. There are two different things wrong with you. I believe anyway. I looked over your blood work we did for the pregnancy test, and noticed a hormonal imbalance, that wasn't anything major. But with a major shift in one direction or the other, it can really affect your moods." The doctor expressed. "That could be one reason for part of this."

"What could be causing a hormonal imbalance?" Shane asked.

"Mitchie, do you take your birth control as directed? Same time everyday? Never miss a day?" Dr. Masis asked.

"I forget some days." I admitted.

"Are these the days your mood swings are the worst?" He asked.

"Possibly. I honestly don't know." I shrugged.

"Well. I think, we're going to take you off of the birth control.( you mean the one she forgeting to take lol ) There are other options- but you also could just use a condom." I watched Shane make a face out of the corner of my eye. "But you don't seem to have the ability to remember the pills at the moment, given the stress of college and being away from your husband and all." I nodded. "Perhaps, next year, when you're more accustomed to the ways of college, we'll put you back on it. These things need to be taken as directed for a reason."

Shane cleared his throat slightly. "You said two reasons? And that the imbalance is only part of it?"

"Mitchie, I noticed in your record also, that you were on anti-depressants when you were in your early teens but your stopped taking them about 2 and half years ago. What were they prescribed for?" Dr. Masis asked.

I clutched Shane's hand tightly and glanced at him. His eyes narrowed slightly at me. "I was depressed because my best friend was beaten to death. I blamed myself for his death for a long time. I refused to take them after a while." I explained.

"Well, I'm going to refer that you see a psychiatrist and suggest you be put back on your anti-depressants. The hormonal imbalance, stress, and general life seem to be effecting you quite a bit. I'm afraid you're becoming depressed again. It's part of the reason I'm taking you off of the birth control. If you don't take them correctly, they're not going to help the anti-depressants correct the natural chemical imbalance." Dr. Masis explained.

"Oh." Was all I could say. Shane didn't say anything.

"Here you go." The doctor handed me a prescription with a referral on it. "Come back and see me in a few weeks and we'll do more blood work to check up on everything, okay?"

"Thanks." I said, standing up. Shane's hand immediately let go of mine to wrap around my waist. "Bye, Doctor Masis."

"Later." Shane offered as we left the room. As soon as we were in the car, Shane spoke to me. "You came off of them ( bcps or anti depression??) just before starting Camp Rock didn't you?" He wasn't looking at me, but my hand was grasped tightly in his.

"Yeah." I replied. "It was part of the reason my parents worked so hard to get me in."

He nodded and started the car. "Well, we know there's nothing too serious wrong. I mean, depression is serious, but… it's not some hidden disease." He explained.

"Yeah." I said again.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noting the tone of my voice.

I sniffled, trying to keep the tears from falling. "I thought I'd gotten over it. I thought I beat my depression."

"Shhh…. It's okay." He soothed, rubbing my knee as he drove us home.

I was hoping my life would get easier once I was back on the anti-depressants. Life was only about to get harder.

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Pure bliss was getting unrealistic. Sorry guys. Riley-Nicky had to go. And relax, Janastasia will be together when they have a baby in AINE. Lol.


	36. Chapter 36

Hello darlings. I know, you guys want updates, but it's hard. I _am_ in college. I apologize for having been so speedy with my updates with ATCR and LKG has now been lacking, but in all honesty, I never thought that ATCR would spawn into LKG and AINE (And It Never Ends - third story in this now series). Anywho, so college is… interesting. But, I'm trying to do work and still give you guys an update, so… it's a lot. Thank you to Dracos-Slytherian-Goddess for looking this over for me. Because my time is now so stretched and its taken me all week to get this written, I had her look it over. The fact that I'm sick just adds to my inability to edit properly. Well, I hope you like this chapter.

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Chapter 36:

"Please, Shane?" I begged. We were arguing over the psychiatrist. I didn't want to go and he was forcing me.

"Mitchie." He sighed. "Please?" He asked exasperated. "This is for your own good."

"I hate them, Shane. All they do is go 'hmmm… and how do you feel about that?' Please don't make me go." I begged as much as I could. I was outside of the lady's office and did _not_ want to go.

"Mitchie… what can I do to convince you to just go once? See if it's really as bad as you think?" Shane was trying his hardest with me, and I could see his patience thinning

"Come with me?" I suggested.

His eyebrows knitted as he looked at me in confusion. "I _did_." He replied.

I shook my head. "No, _in_ with me. Like, when I'm talking to her. So you can see how painfully pointless it is."

He sighed once more. "I guess. If it's okay with the doctor."

I sighed contently. "Thank you." I kissed him once and let him drag me into the office.

"Michaela Grey." Shane told the receptionist. I smiled hearing my name; it never got old hearing it.

"Go right in, Mrs. Grey." She replied.

"Can he…" I trailed off.

"He can go in if you're uncomfortable, Mrs. Grey." I sighed in relief and dragged Shane with me.

"Dr. Toledo?" I asked as I entered. A small Hispanic woman greeted us with a huge smile.

"Michaela?" She asked.

"Mitchie, please. This is my husband, Shane." I introduced Shane.

"Very nice to meet you." Dr. Toledo shook but our hands. "Are you staying for the session, Mr. Grey?" We both nodded. "I'm not saying he can't be here, but I'm curious as to why." Dr. Toledo asked as she sat down behind her desk, gesturing for us to sit as well.

"I don't like members of your profession _professionally_." I explained.

"Ahh." She said nodding. "I understand. Now, your doctor suggested you to come see me. What do you think led him to that?"

"I haven't been 'myself'. It was a gradual decline since I came off of the anti-depressants the first time. I was happy and myself for most of the summer. Then I started to slip again I guess. I've been getting worse for roughly 2 years or so." I explained.

"2 years? And you're relapsing?" Dr. Toledo. "Depression that will relapse will usually occur within 6 months and rapidly. Do you think there might be a different cause for your depression?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea." I replied in all honesty.

"Well, tell me what happened in the first place that you were on the anti-depressants." Dr. Toledo suggested.

My hand was held tightly in Shane's at the moment, and I felt him give me a small squeeze of encouragement. "My best friend was beaten to death when I was 12. I blamed myself for a long time over it. I hallucinated, cut myself, and was generally withdrawn from others."

"When and why did you come off of them?" Dr. Toledo asked.

"I felt weak when I was on them. I felt like they were controlling me. I was determined to prove I was stronger than that. That I was as strong as Sierra." I explained. Shane squeezed my hand again.

"And Sierra is?" She asked.

"My other best friend. Who was also best friends with Justin, the one who was killed." I answered.

The never ending questions continued. Dr. Toledo asked, "And what happened when you came off of them?"

"I was fine. Until-" I stumbled. Maybe Shane coming in with me wasn't the best idea. I looked at him and watched his eyes darken with realization.

"Until Beach Jam." He said in a soft voice. I nodded weakly.

"I'd lied to the entire Camp about my mother, and ended up being exposed about it. Shane and I had gotten really close and he was devastated when Tess ousted me to everyone. He wouldn't let me explain." I explained. I felt his grip on my hand tighten.

"You seem to have overcome that though." Dr. Toledo said. "Anything else major occur?" I shrugged.

"I don't honestly know what you would classify as _major_." I replied.

"Hmmm… Mitchie, I want you to do me a favor for next time. Sit down and write every memory that comes to mind in the last 2 and half years that took place after what we discuss today." Dr. Toledo stated.

"Okay." I agreed.

Two hours later, Shane and I were back in the car, on our way back to my dorm. It was a Thursday afternoon and I had classes after all.

"Shane…" I sighed. "Talk to me." I begged. He'd been silent most of the ride so far.

"About what?" He asked dejectedly. "The fact that I'm cause of all of your problems? As always?"

"Don't say it like that!" I cried. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. Everything you've mentioned so far… was my fault in someway." He argued.

"Shane… don't be like this." I begged. "Please, I can't handle you blaming yourself. That just makes me feel guilty which makes you feel more guilty which makes me feel guiltier. It's a never ending cycle. So just… stop it."

He sighed in frustration. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"I know. Just, don't shut me out because of your unneeded guilt. Help me." I spoke softly. He nodded, grabbing my hand lightly and bringing it to his lips.

"I love you." He said as he let my hand fall back into my lap. His hand found its place on my knee, rubbing small circles into it.

"I know." I smiled at him. He half smiled, but it was on the happier half of a smile.

When we got back to campus, I dragged Shane upstairs with me. He didn't protest and followed quietly. He was dropping me off for the night since I did still have classes to attend in the morning.

When I opened the door, I did not expect to find a half-naked Caitlyn underneath a mostly naked Nate.

"Shit!" Nate swore, jumping off of Caitlyn and quickly pulling on his jeans.

"Dude." Shane looked at Nate trying his best not to laugh. "You have a hotel room for the next 3 weeks. Why their dorm?"

Nate glared at Shane while he and Caitlyn continued to get dressed. I was too busy laughing at Caitlyn to care. "Maybe because we didn't plan it?" Nate shot back.

I sobered after a few moments of laughter. "Wait, what exactly were you two intending on doing?" I questioned with my hands on my hips. For a fleeting moment I felt like my mother and knew she'd be proud to see me acting like her.

"Um… we weren't intending…" Caitlyn answered, not looking at me.

"Try again, dear. Were you going to stop?" I asked.

"Um… maybe? You interrupted, how can we know for sure?" Nate asked. Next to me, Shane was almost doubled over from laughing at the situation.

"Have you ever gotten like this before and stopped?" Neither looked at me after I asked. "Exactly. You haven't. And the last time you did, you didn't stop." I smacked Nate in the back of the head. "You have a promise to keep." I laughed as he pouted and rubbed his head.

"Like you don't get frustrated." Caitlyn argued back.

I smiled. "I didn't yell at you." I replied giggling slightly. "He's the one who took a vow." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Gee, thanks, Mitch." Nate mumbled while Caitlyn began giggling as well.

I suddenly took a large wiff of the room. "Wow, Nate, did you bath in your cologne?" I asked, smelling the overwhelming scent that was Nate in my bedroom. A fake coughed emphasized my point, so I thought.

The others gave me an odd look. "I can barely smell it and I've been with him all day." Caitlyn commented.

I shrugged. "Whichever. I'm tired." I laid down on my bed and pulled Shane with me.

He groaned. "My bed is comfier."

"Shut up." I pushed his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I looked across the room at Nate and Caitlyn, who were cuddling as well. Nate was sitting up with Caitlyn laying against his chest.

"So how was the shrink?" Nate asked.

I sighed. "It was alright." I answered honestly.

Nate made a face, presumably at Shane, who I guessed was making faces behind me. "That's good, right?" Nate asked with a confused look.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Are you back on the anti-depressants?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah." I yawned. "I'm really tired, so night, night." I giggled softly as I rolled over to bury myself in Shane's chest. He laughed and held me to him.

I woke up awhile later to a note next to me. _Hey baby. I had to get going and I didn't want to wake you. Call me if you want. Or I'll see you tomorrow for dinner. Love, Shane_. I smiled as I rolled over to look at the clock. It was a little past 11 and I needed to finish homework. I'd call him tomorrow after class. Not that I didn't want to talk to him, I just knew I'd never get back to my homework.

Caitlyn must have been out with Nate for the night or something because she wasn't in her bed. Lucky her, she didn't have a class first thing in the morning like I did. I enjoyed the solitude and wrote the paper I had to.

I called Shane in the morning. He rather groggily answered the phone, too. "Well good morning, sunshine." I teased.

"Hey, baby." He answered. "What's up? It's only… 7 in the morning."

"8 o'clock class." I replied.

"Ooooh." He yawned.

"Why are you so tired, pop star?" I asked.

"Because I ended up in an x-box championship with Kevin and Nicky last night." He explained.

"What game?" I asked.

"All of them." He replied. I didn't reply so he explained, "No, seriously. Every game we own. We played them all. And kept track of who won how many. Well, Nicky kept score while Kevin and I battled it out."

"And? Did you win?" I asked feigning serious interest.

"Of course." He replied, his tone indicating he was completely lying. He busted out laughing hysterically a moment later. "Not at all. Kevin beat me back like 5 games."

"Nice." I commented. "Okay, well, I have to go shower before class. I'll call you later so can come pick me up for dinner."

He groaned at the mention of the shower. "Why couldn't you stay here for the 3 weeks I'm home?" He asked.

"Because. I'd get no school work done, that's why. Bye, Shane. Love you." I hung up on him, knowing we'd spend too much time bickering and I'd never get in the shower.

Caitlyn came in as I was getting ready to leave. She smiled tiredly at me as she crawled into bed.

"Where were you all night, missy?" I asked teasingly.

"With Nate, Jason, and Stas." She replied. "Mostly Nate is to blame for the tiredness."

"Really? What were you guys doing?" I was intrigued that they were all together.

"We were hanging out for a while at the hotel, and then Jason dragged Stas into his bedroom and locked the door behind them." I raised an eyebrow at her. "They weren't having sex." She replied pointedly. "But they're all clingy and cute. It's that post-break-up-make-up-fluff-fest period with them."

"They deserve it." I stated.

"I know." She yawned. "God, I'm going to kill Nate."

"Why?" I asked laughing as I pulled my book bag up onto my shoulder.

"Because he makes abstinence really hard to keep." She laughed. "Night, Mitch." She said rolling over. I laughed and headed off to class.

I had an hour break between classes, so rather than go back to the dorm, I headed to the café on campus. I pulled my phone out to text Shane. _Hey. You awake now?_

He replied, _Yeah, just took Jake for a walk. What's up? Done with classes?_

I sighed wishfully. I'd much rather be with Shane than my sociology class. _Not yet. Only one more though. I'll see you at 12:30? I get out of class at 11:15._

_Sure, baby. Love you._ I smiled and sent him back the same. He was amazing sometimes. Especially when I find him on my bed at 11:30 when I get back from class.

"I said 12:30, dear." I playfully reprimanded.

"I wanted to surprise you." He said getting up to wrap me up in his arms.

"Where's Cait?" I asked.

"Class. I got here while she was in the shower, so I was hanging out in… _Faith_'s room? She saved me from being mobbed. There was a group of girls coming up the stairs behind her evidentially. She pulled me in her room and was like, 'Hi, I'm Mitchie & Cait's friend Faith. Cait's in the shower, Mitchie's in class, and you were about to get mobbed.' She's pretty cool. She's the one you were telling me about, right?" He rambled a bit. I smiled.

"Yeah. That's Faith for you." I took a deep breath before almost gagging. "Did you take notes from Nate and start bathing in your cologne? I love the way you smell, baby, but damn."

Shane looked at me oddly once again. "Okay, having you been eating something that clears out your nose and like enhances your sense of smell or something?"

I looked at him equally oddly. "No. Can you even do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Anyway, what do you have to do before we can leave?"

"Well, since you're here, you can pack my bag for me. Then I can do my homework really quickly." I said already heading over to my desk.

He kissed my head as he walked past me into my closet. "Well, what do you want to wear?" He asked from inside the closet.

"Um…" I thought while trying to do my homework at the same time. "Whatever you pick, baby." I answered.

"Hmm…. Short skirt, tight top… high heels…" He started listing aloud to be a jerk.

Distractedly, I replied. "Any top will probably be tight, Shane."

"What?" He asked, sticking his head out of the closet.

"I don't know, the last day or two my shirts have been tighter across the chest." I answered, finally looking up from my homework.

"Not to be a perv, but have your boobs gotten bigger?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me. I'm not a good judge of my own breasts."

"Well, they could just be growing. Keep an eye on that, though." He said disappearing again. "Oh! And we have to stop and get your prescription on the way back. I dropped it off on my way over." I didn't really answer, but went back to my work.

Finally I finished my homework and Shane packed my bag. I wanted to get the homework I still had to do for the weekend done, because I was spending the entire time with Shane and our friends in the hotel. While Shane mostly stayed home with his family during the break, he did have a room in the suite the boys had. They could have all gone home to the apartment, but wanted to be closer to us.

After picking up my anti-depressants, we entered the suite to find Jason and Anastasia cuddling on the couch. They were lost in their own world and didn't hear us come in.

"You've got something on your face." Jason said.

"What?" Anastasia asked moving her hand toward her face. Jason caught it before she touched her face though.

He kissed her cheek in an adorable way. "A kiss." He smiled.

"Awwww. That was incredibly cute." She giggled slightly, kissing his cheek back.

"Hey, guys." I said walking in.

"Mitchie!" Jason ran over to me, hugging me tightly.

"Wow, Jase, it's only been… 2 days?" I thought back.

"So." He pouted.

"Hey, Dracula." Anastasia greeted Shane, who gave her an equally big hug as the one Jason gave me.

"Stas." He greeted.

"So you two seem happy." I commented as we settled in the living room. Shane pulled me down on his lap.

"Yeah." Anastasia smiled and cuddled into Jason again. Jason smiled as well.

"So, what _did_ happened? You guys said you worked it out, but this looks a lot more then working it out." I asked curiously.

They shared a look. "We'll tell you when Nate and Cait get here." Anastasia replied.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Fine." I sighed dramatically. We continued talking and catching up until the others showed up. We'd be going out to dinner at 5.

"Hey, hey, hey." Caitlyn said walking in behind Nate awhile later.

"Hey, Cait! Hey, Nate." We all called out. The dropped onto the couch next to Jason and Anastasia.

"I'm hungry." Caitlyn complained. "Let's gooooo." She whined playfully.

We laughed and made our way out of the apartment. After being seated and placing our orders, Anastasia and Jason exchanged looks.

"Okay, so, you know how we've been, extra couple-y?" Anastasia asked.

"Now by extra do you mean more than _your_ norm or more than _normal_ people who just dealt with what you did?" I asked being a smartass.

Anastasia glared. "Anyway," She said pointedly while smiling at me. "We have an announcement. And an explanation."

We all sat on edge waiting for one of them to explain. "We're engaged." Jason finally said.

I believe all of our jaws hit the floor for a moment, though I was in such shock, I can't be completely certain.

Nate was the first to speak. "I thought you were breaking up a week ago. Now you're getting married?" He asked confused.

"No. We're engaged. It's different. We have no set wedding plans. We just, wanted to prove to each other, and the world, that we are serious about each other." Anastasia explained.

"We talked it out. It wasn't spur of the moment." Jason added.

"Jay said, 'I do want to marry you, you know.' and I said, 'I do, too. Seriously.' And we just… decided." Anastasia said.

"But I didn't do it properly." Jason smirked. It was weird to see Jason smirk. But a moment later, Jason was on the floor on one knee. Our smiles all grew wide as we knew what was coming. Anastasia's eyes took Jason in with much confusion. "Anastasia Dragomir, will you marry me?"

Her jaw dropped. "Oh… my… god! Of course!" Jason stood up and pulled her out of her chair, twirling her around. "I love you, Jay." she sighed softly, placing her head on his shoulder.

He kissed her head. "I love you, too."

Was life perfect? Far from it. But, there were things along the way to make it better. And this was one of the many coming our way.

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Speculations welcome. )


	37. Chapter 37

You know you love me. After I posted the new chapter I was really bored, so I wrote a new chapter. Because I didn't have any homework I could do. So, feel lucky. I won't go on and on right now, just thanks to Becky again. Cause Allison's like dropped off the face of the earth… sad face. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Not only is it early, its long! Like ATCR length. O.o Ya'll are going to hate me at the end of this, just so you know.

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Chapter 37:

Somehow I managed to study for all of my finals with Shane around, even though I wanted to spend every waking moment with him. But finally, it was Christmas and I had managed to get all of my shopping done as well. Mom and Dad were coming up to Boston; Jason and Anastasia were going to Jason's family's; and Nate and Caitlyn were going back to Pennsylvania and meeting up with her parents as well. The boys would be leaving before New Years, though we were meeting back up before they did to exchange gifts.

Of course we'd be exchanging our gifts to our significant others on Christmas. I was super excited. My gift wasn't something _new_ and had been exchanged between us before. It was our first Christmas as husband and wife, so of course there would be a shower of random gifts, but this was going to be the most important. I wrote him a song. It was one I was very proud of.

I wrote it during my sociology class, seeing as I wasn't paying attention anyway. Now, some might take it the wrong way, but I knew he wouldn't. I call it, _His Shadow_. It's the first sign that the medication was working. I was surprisingly much happier. I know, things like this are usually like 90 percent mental, but I was happier. It could have also been Shane being home, but I don't know for sure.

Four days before Christmas, Nate and Caitlyn left for Pennsylvania. Three days before, Mom and Dad came up from Jersey. Two days before, Jason and Anastasia drove out to the Bishops'. Christmas Eve, I woke up with the need to vomit. My stomach had been hurting for a few days.

"Baby, you okay?" Shane asked sleepily, stumbling into the bathroom with Jacob on his heels. He knelt next to me, rubbing my back as I leaned over the toilet.

"I think the pills are making me sick." I stated. "I mean, yeah, they're working, I think, but there's no way I'm sick again." I argued.

I saw a small secretive smile creep onto Shane's face for a moment before it was quickly slipped off. "Just keep an eye on it, okay?"

"Why are you happy I'm sick?" I asked.

His eyes widened for a moment. "I'm not happy you're sick again." He replied quickly. "I, uh, just, I'm happy to hear you say they're helping." He stumbled a bit.

"Do you think my family is going to be pissed they aren't seeing me this year?" I asked him, randomly changing the subject. He looked at me oddly. "My extended family. The ones I see every year for Christmas?" I explained.

He shrugged. "I don't know." He replied honestly. "I don't think so, given the circumstances. Next year, my parents and the twins can come down to Jersey for the holiday, okay?"

I leaned against him, smiling contently. "Sounds great." I agreed.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

I nodded weakly. "Let's go back to bed for a bit." I said, still not moving.

He chuckled. "How 'bout a while? It's only quarter to five, baby." He said standing up.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes playfully as he helped me up. "Oh, need to brush my teeth." I commented. "Oh, and flush that please before I puke again." I almost gagged smelling the vomit in the toilet.

Shane laughed and flushed the toilet, taking it in stride. Most guys would be freaked out by flushing their wife or girlfriend's vomit. Shane, though… Shane was amazing. He was smiling like crazy and I couldn't seem to figure out why.

I'd been off of the birth control for about three weeks almost, and on the anti-depressants for a little under two. I knew the side effects of both, and my symptoms just didn't seem to fit. But I ignored them for the time being. I just wanted to enjoy my last few days with Shane before he left again.

After finally getting out of bed for real around 11 and taking a shower, we made our way downstairs. By the time we were functioning, Savannah, Brown, and Dee -yes, Dee LaDuke- were already over. The rest of Shane's family would be over in about an hour or so for dinner.

"Dee!" I squealed slightly, hugging her. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you'd be here!"

She laughed. "Well, Ben, you tell her." She turned to Brown. I raised my eyebrow in curiosity. The only people who ever called Brown any form of his real name were people who knew him before he started touring in high school. I usually only ever heard Dee call him Brown.

"Well, Dee and I are finally _officially_ dating, so I brought her for the holiday." Brown admitted.

I squealed again. "I knew it! At our wedding I knew it." I gloated to Shane.

"Yes, you did." He appeased me.

"Actually, it was after your wedding we realized our feelings were more than platonic anymore. We've been friends since high school. We just never thought there to be more." Dee explained.

I awed. "Our wedding was awesome." I decided. "I mean, Nicky and Riley got _back _together, Dee and Uncle Brown _got_ together." I commented.

"The fact that _we_ got married, has nothing to do with this." Shane scoffed slightly. I noticed, however, Shane wasn't the only one making faces at my comment. Nicky seemed to seclude herself a little more than she had been.

Savannah pulled me aside a little while later to explain. "Don't mention Riley too much at dinner." She whispered urgently. "Nicky's new beau is coming."

"New? What? They've only been broken up for like, not even a month. How does she have someone she's bringing to family gatherings already?" I asked quite surprised and alarmed.

Savannah shrugged. "He's in our grade. He's been trying to date her for _years_. He's actually friends with Kevin."

"He's not the one she…" I trailed off, not sure if Savannah knew of Nicky's lacking virginity.

"No!" She replied immediately. "No, he's not. Kevin hasn't been friends with him since then. No, this is the kid who tried to stop her that night. He's a sweet heart, Mitch." Savannah assured me.

I sighed. "I just think it's too soon. I think she's trying to force herself to get over Riley because as much as she wants her freedom, she still wants him." I commented.

"What makes you say that?" Savannah asked.

"When Riley broke up with her, she agreed, but didn't want him to leave right away. Does Riley even know? I know they're still friends." Savannah had these answers as over the time, Savannah and Nicky had also gotten to be very close. They were after all in the same grade, and Nicky finally realized that Savannah wasn't a threat to her family.

"Nope. He doesn't. Nicky won't tell him. It's going to blow up in her face." Savannah sighed.

"Well, she's stubborn. Not much we can do." I sighed as well.

"Yeah. Oh! He's here." Savannah commented looking out of the window we were near and seeing a Camaro pull up next to Shane's Mustang. I grimaced. Shane wasn't going to like this kid.

"Who's car is that?" Shane asked appearing at my side, having heard the engine.

"Chuck." Savannah replied.

"Who's Chuck?" Shane demanded. Savannah looked at the ground. There were times Shane still intimidated her a bit. "Savannah, who is Chuck?" He asked, still demanding, but much softer.

"Nicky's new boyfriend." She replied timidly.

"Her what?!" Shane exploded.

"Baby, chill." I said, trying to calm him down. "It's her life, remember?"

Shane glared at Chuck through the window as he approached the door. His skinny jeans, tight t-shirt, vest, and fedora would have made him look like he'd fit in with the boys perfectly, if only he hadn't had more of a skater edge to him than they did. Shane instantly liked him a little less than he already had.

As Chuck knocked on the door, Shane moved to open it, narrowly beating Nicky to the door. "Who are you?" Shane demanded.

The poor kid smiled politely. "Chuck." He offered his hand. "You must be Nick's brother Shane."

Shane glanced down at Chuck's hand while Nicky sent apologizing looks behind Shane's back knowing better than to interfere. It would only piss Shane off more. Taking pity on Nicky and Chuck, I interfered for her. "Hi, I'm Mitchie, Shane's wife." I smiled shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mitchie. Nicky talks a lot about you. Um, not to be rude, but do you think I can come in? It's cold out here." He asked.

I pulled Shane out of the way to allow Chuck to enter, though he continued his questioning. "How do you know my sister?"

"I'm her boyfriend. Did she not mention me to you?" Chuck asked confused.

"No, she didn't." Shane looked over at Nicky with a strange look. "Nice to meet you, Chad." Shane said smiling fakely and leaving.

"It's Chuck!" Chuck called after him.

I sighed. "It doesn't matter." I replied honestly. "He's going to not like you for a very long time, and not remember you're name for even longer. He only just remembered Savannah's name around the time of our wedding." I explained.

"Haven't they been together for like, ever?" Chuck asked. "And why doesn't he like me?"

"Because he's an ass." Nicky spoke, finally greeting her boyfriend with a hello kiss. "He's mad I didn't tell him. That's why I didn't."

"You could have told _me_." I told her.

"You didn't want me to break up with Riley either, so there's no way you're happy about me being in a new relationship." Nicky retorted.

"Let's not have this conversation in front of Chuck, okay, Nick? Chuck it was nice meeting you." I smiled politely before heading off to find Shane.

When I did, it was quite funny. "I can't believe she's over Riley already. My sister is such a… gah." Shane huffed in frustration. Thankfully no one else was in the kitchen other than us.

"Such a gah?" I teased.

"I'm not about to call me sister demeaning names." Shane replied in a duh sort of tone.

I giggled. "I know. Why is this bothering you so much? You knew that Riley was going to break up with her." I asked, genuinely concerned.

He sighed. "Because, I hoped she wouldn't move on. That they wouldn't forget about each other, and they'd work it out." He answered honestly.

"Why?" I questioned.

He wouldn't look at me. "Because then I'd know I was making the right decision by not breaking up with you when it first started hurting you."

I sighed. "Shane… I could have broken up with you at any point. I did at one point, remember? But I realized I love you and this was worth fighting for, remember?"

"I know. It just scares me that someday you're going to get fed up and end it. I don't want to loose you, _ever_." He admitted.

"You won't. I promise." I said tracing his down turned jaw with my finger tips. He leaned into my touch and finally looked at me. "I love you."

He smiled lazily. "I know. I love you, too, baby."

When we finally sat down for dinner, the atmosphere was ever so slightly awkward. My parents were talking to the Grey's, Brown & Dee, while Shane and I spoke with Savannah and Kevin. Nicky and Chuck were in their own world. Shane's other family members spoke amongst themselves as well.

"So, Mitchie," one of Shane's aunt's began, "What's it like being married to a celebrity?" She asked, and I wasn't sure how to answer. This was the first time I'd really been around his family except for the wedding.

"It's hard." I admitted honestly. "But I love him, so it's worth it." I smiled politely.

"I bet." She smiled a little too politely. "You're friend Stace? She cheated on Jason, no?"

"_Stas_." I corrected politely. "And no, she didn't. Her roommate's cousin was a tad bit too infatuated with Stas and tried to manipulate her using Jason. Jason actually just proposed to her a few nights ago." I replied.

"Oh." She replied biting her tongue a bit. "That's nice."

"Yeah, Jason ruined Nate's Christmas present for Caitlyn." Shane laughed, trying to change the subject.

"What?" I asked, looking at Shane. "You mean he was going to… seriously?!" I asked, way too excited.

Shane shrugged. "Yeah. I don't think he's going to now, considering. Jason didn't know about it, or he probably wouldn't have formally proposed. He would have explained it to Stas, I'm sure." Shane laughed.

"Oh my god!" I cried happily. "Yay!" Everyone was looking at me oddly, except those who I was close to. They were laughing at me. "Sorry." I replied, shrinking into my seat a bit. Shane chuckled and wrapped his arm around me tightly, and kissed my temple.

Aside from that horrendous conversation with his aunt, dinner went smoothly. Later on, Shane called his aunt a particularly distasteful name, explaining that no one really liked her because she was very snooty. She was the bad apple from his dad's family. I felt better, knowing it wasn't me that she had a problem with and that she merely had a problem in general.

I woke up Christmas morning, rushing into the bathroom again. As Shane climbed out of bed after me, I saw him smiling. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why, though. I let it go though as he rubbed my back and talking softly to me. He ended up carrying back to bed and tucking me in. It was still early, after all. I woke up an hour or so later with breakfast in bed. I smiled seeing him entering the bedroom with a tray full of food. I smelled the coffee though and ran to the bathroom again.

Concerned, he quickly rushed over to my side after placing the food on the bed. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

I shrugged. "I have no idea anymore." I admitted.

"Well, after the holiday, go back to the doctor, okay?" I promised I would and I did. That was quite an eye-opening experience. "What made you throw up?" He asked.

"Coffee." I replied.

He smirked to himself and went out into the room again. While I finished brushing my teeth, he drank his coffee, eliminating most of the scent from the room.

"I wanted to give you one of your presents alone." He said, pulling a wrapped package out from under the bed. He handed it to me and sat back on his legs on the bed next to me.

I quickly tore open the wrapping and smiled brightly at what I pulled out of the heavy, deep box. First, there was a scrap book decorated with Camp Rock logos and trees and music notes. Inside, various pictures of my first year at Camp Rock as well as our second year laid with cute captions. There were blank pages at the end for future Camp Rock summers. I placed it on the bed and notice there was more in the box. Another scrap book reading _Road Trip _across the top was next. There were pictures from the first tour filling the pages, and again held blank pages for future tours. Of course, there was still much more in this box of never ending possibilities. A third scrap book held pictures from each of our birthday's through the years. But still, there were more scrap books in the box. One containing everything from my senior year, including Prom and Graduation; a beautiful, antique looking scrap book with our names inscribed on it with all of our wedding pictures; another with our honeymoon pictures; one reading _Our Family_ with pictures of well, our families and our friends, but also just Shane, Jacob and myself.

The last scrap book I pulled out was a baby's scrap book. I looked up at Shane in confusion. A picture myself and a picture of Shane as babies graced the cover of it. When I opened the book, there were no pictures of us. Actually, there were no pictures. There was a note.

"Someday." I read the single word written in Shane's handwriting. "Someday?" I asked looking up at him.

He smiled softly. "Yeah. Someday, this will be filled with our kids photos." He explained. "I didn't have anything to fill it up with now." He laughed.

I smiled. "So why did you make this one, too?"

"Because the series didn't seem complete without it." He said softly. "Do you like them?" He asked nervously.

"I love them, Shane. I can't believe you made me…" I paused to count, "Nine scrap books. You made me nine scrap books? When did you have time to do this?" I asked utterly surprised.

"Our mom's gathered all of the pictures for me that I didn't have, and I did all of this while you were studying and doing other collegiate things for the last three weeks." He informed me.

I awed. "I can't believe you did this. You always give me amazing gifts, and I always end up not giving you anything half as amazing." I pouted.

"Whatever you got me is going to be amazing, I'm sure." He said, kissing me softly.

"I wrote a song." I informed him.

His smiled grew. "You did? About what?" He asked excitedly.

I smiled. "It's not completely positive, per say, but I'm getting there." I said. "Do you have you're guitar?" I asked.

He shook his head no. "I left it at the hotel the other night." He replied disappointed.

"I can sing it without the guitar?" I offered. His smile grew again. "Okay, don't think this has any negative thoughts on you, okay?" He nodded uncertain, but allowed me to continued. "Okay." I took a deep breath and began humming to myself to get the right notes in my head. "Can you see me as I am? Or am I just living in his shadow? It's time for you to move that spotlight, Cause I'm shining on my own… No more living in his shadow… I'm breaking out, breaking free, Gonna stand with him beside me. No more living on the sidelines, Baby it's my time to shine- And I'm finally moving out of the shadow." I looked over at Shane to see his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "What is it that bad?" I asked, not finishing my song.

"No, no. I loved it. It's… it's like your old stuff." He laughed softly. "Keep going." He urged just as our door peeked open.

"Shane? Mitchie? Breakfast is ready." Kevin said, staying hidden behind the door.

"Thanks, Kev. We'll be right down." Shane replied. "You'll have to sing it for me later." He laughed. "Guess the scrap books took more time than I thought they would."

I smiled. "It was so worth it though. That was amazing. I was wondering why the box was so big." I laughed as I pulled on a pair of his pajama pants and one of my thermals.

"Why are you wearing my pants?" He asked, putting a different pair on himself.

"Cause I can." I replied smiling teasingly at him.

After that, Christmas was pretty awesome. Everything was amazing and happy and pleasant. Well, except for Nicky who seemed a bit estranged from the rest of us. Other than Nicky, though, everything was perfect.

Our friends returned the next day and we met up at the hotel again. I was anxious to see what Nate did for Caitlyn for Christmas. I was not at all disappointed by the result.

"He gave me a promise ring." Caitlyn smiled brightly, biting her lip. "He said he was going to propose, but he thought against it, knowing I wasn't ready yet. So instead he gave me a promise ring." She gushed. I smiled as I looked over the beautiful silver band with the words _forever my love _engraved. "He's finally learned." She teased slightly while Nate rolled his eyes playfully.

Later, I corned Nate in the kitchen. "Guess it's a good thing Jason proposed, huh?" I question offhandedly.

Nate sputtered. "What?" He asked.

"Shane said you were going to propose." I replied.

He shrugged. "Yeah. You're right. But that was before she and I talked when we got home. She said she wasn't ready. And I'm not going to push her. But, I did want to show her how much I love her. And that I do intend on being with her forever. Her comment at the wedding really got to me, ya know? About how I was only with her because I've already broken my promise with her? I wanted to show her that wasn't true at all." He expressed.

"Aww, Nate." I cooed at him. "When did you get all cute and sweet?" I teased.

"I always have been." He threw back. "I just suck at showing it." He sighed. I just laughed, knowing it was definitely true. Everything he ever did to try to show Caitlyn his feelings, she somehow screwed them up. Most things just never came out right. Thankfully, for once, he managed to do something right.

We enjoyed ourselves the rest of the night, recreating our own Christmas like we did every year, then the night unfortunately came to an end. While I definitely didn't want to say good-bye the next day, I had no choice.

Shane held me outside of the terminal, while I clung to him tightly. "I don't want you to go." I pouted.

He chuckled. "I know you don't. I don't want to go either, but I'll be back in the end of February, okay?"

"That's still two months away." I pouted again.

He shook his head slightly. "You've already survived three months, two will go by without a problem."

I sighed. "Fine." I playfully rolled my eyes. "Love you." I leaned up to kiss him.

"Love you, too." He replied as we broke apart.

"Have a good trip." I smiled.

"Go to the doctor." He said pointedly. I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious."

"I know. I will." I agreed begrudgingly. "I go on the second." I told him.

"Good." He kissed my forehead once more before stepping back. "See you in two months." He sighed.

"Yeah." I agreed as he started walking away toward the gate. He was the first to board the plane. Nate and Caitlyn were still saying good-bye, as were Jason and Anastasia. Both seemed to be in rather intense conversations, though I couldn't make out either. Riley walked up to me as soon as Shane was gone.

"Hey, Mitchie." He said softly. He didn't seem happy at all.

"Riley!" I enveloped him a huge hug. "I haven't seen you since the day you guys came home. How was it being home?" I asked.

"Depressing." He admitted. "I didn't want to walk away."

"I know." I sympathized with him. "If it's meant to be, it'll be. A read once that if it's meant to be you can't stop it, and if it's not, you can't force it."

"Yeah." He agreed. "She has a new boyfriend, doesn't she?" He asked.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, caught off guard.

"The first few days after our break-up, she would still end our conversations with telling me she loved me. Just out of habit I guess. But then she stopped calling as much over the three weeks and she doesn't end it that way. She just says, take care or something. I got a text today saying good-bye. She wouldn't even come see me like I asked her to." Poor Riley looked like he was about to die on the inside as he admitted all of this to me.

"I'm so sorry, Riley. If it helps, Shane and I were really hoping she wouldn't let you walk away." I told him.

He laughed emotionlessly. "You weren't the only ones." He sighed. "Well, I should go. Bye, Mitchie." He hugged me quickly and followed Nate and Jason onto the plane.

Caitlyn and Anastasia were by my side moments later. "You okay?" They asked. I nodded.

"You guys okay?" I asked them in reply. They nodded as well. "Let's go home."

New Years came and went for us, rather uneventfully. But, I had to go to the doctor's, as instructed by Shane. That was an interesting experience. A week later I was calling Shane was startling news.

"Hey, ba-" Shane answered, but I quickly cut him off.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

No way you didn't see that coming.


	38. Chapter 38

Don't get confused. This starts before the ending of the 37. I just really wanted to end it there. So, I hope you all like this chapter. I've envisioning maybe 2 or 3 more, I think before the end of LKG. I might take a break before starting AINE, though. Don't really feel like talking much right now, so. Later.

* * *

Chapter 38:

I entered the doctor's office with quite a bit of fear. I was sick again, and I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. Shane tried to reassure me that there probably wasn't anything _wrong_. I didn't really understand his immense belief in that statement. But I trusted him and fought my nerves and went anyway.

"Mrs. Grey, back so soon?" Dr. Masis greeted as he came in.

"I'm getting sick again. Every morning I wake up vomiting. I think my anti-depressants are making me sick. I mean, they're working, but…" My explanation of why I was there was cut off by the doctor's laughter. "What's funny, Doctor?" I asked slightly peeved.

"Mitchie. Tell me all of your symptoms." He requested. "Humor me, please, so we can verify what's wrong."

"Well, I can smell really well, my chest hurt, my stomach has been cramping, I wake up vomiting and I'm nauseas a lot …" I trailed off as I caught sight of Dr. Masis's growing smiling.

"Mrs. Grey," He began. "I do believe you're pregnant."

"There's no way." I said in disbelief.

"Forgive me for getting too personal, but I highly doubt that you and Shane didn't have sex at all while he was home, much less used protection. I saw the face he made the day you were here."

"He did." I replied. "He wasn't happy about it, but he did. There's no way I'm pregnant. The only time we had sex without protection I was on birth control."

"Birth control you weren't taking properly." Dr. Masis reminded me. "It's quite possible."

"How can I possibly be showing signs of it already? Doesn't it not start for a few weeks? Like a month at least?" I still wasn't convinced.

"It's quite possible, Mitchie." He laughed. "Please, just do the blood work, and then if that's not it, we'll sit down and really discuss what this could be." He smiled. "But it's not your anti-depressants. I can assure you of that much. You're on the only anti-depressant that has no known side effects on pregnant woman and their fetus, by the way."

"Why?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smirked. "I had a hunch you might become pregnant in the near future. It's dangerous to take a pregnant woman off of her anti-depressants but it can also be dangerous to the fetus if she stays on them. So I recommended that one."

"Riiight. But I'm not pregnant." I replied politely. He just continued to smile as he left. He sent a nurse in to do the blood work.

I went home in a bad mood. Dr. Masis was off his rocker, I was certain. I sought out Caitlyn quickly. "There's no freaking way I'm pregnant." I stated when I did find her.

"What?" She asked looking up at me with confusion. "Where did that come from?"

"Dr. Masis has this notion that I'm pregnant." I huffed sitting down.

"He might not be wrong." Caitlyn sighed. "You seem slightly pregnant."

"Last time I seemed pregnant, I wasn't. I'm not getting my hopes up just have them crushed." I snapped.

Caitlyn's eyes grew wide. "_Hopes up?_" She gasped smiling widely. "No _way_. You _want_ a baby?" She was in pure disbelief.

"What?" I asked before realizing what I had said. "No, that's not what I meant-"

"No, you _want_ a baby. What brought this on?" She smirked knowingly as she cut me off.

I shrugged, really confused at the moment. "I don't know. I guess I was slightly disappointed the last time. I mean, I was relieved, but I was… disappointed, too. No, Cait, this is bad. I can't be pregnant." I began pacing. "No matter how much I wouldn't mind being pregnant, I _can't_ be. Shane and I can't handle this right now. Oh god, Cait, what am I going to do?" I started freaking out more than I already was. Talking about this seemed to make everything worse. "Oh god, oh god, oh god." I sat on my bed almost hyperventilating.

Caitlyn chuckled and called Anastasia to come over while trying to calm me down. When Anastasia arrived she took one look at Caitlyn and I and just stopped moving. I was crying like an idiot while Caitlyn was trying not to laugh.

"Okay, what the hell?" Anastasia asked, seriously confused.

"Mitchie thinks she's pregnant, but thinks it's a bad thing." Caitlyn explained.

"It _is_ a bad thing, Cait." I glared at her.

Anastasia sat on the other side of me. "How is it _bad_? You're married aren't you? Unless…" Anastasia shifted uncomfortably next to me. "… unless it's not Shane's…"

I gasped, clutching my arms around my stomach. "How could you say such a thing!" I demanded. "Of course it's Shane's."

"Then how is it bad?" Anastasia asked again.

"I'm still in college, he's still a pop star. Follow me here, college student plus pop star equals bad parents." I exasperated.

"You think too much. You don't even know for a fact yet." Caitlyn decided.

"And? I was blind to begin with, but I don't think I'm that stupid. Dr. Masis is probably right. The morning sickness? The smelling? My boobs growing? How could I be so blind. What am I going to do then?" I demanded.

"You're going to tell your husband and be happy." Anastasia said firmly.

"You guys just don't get it." I sighed in frustration as I stood up.

"Because there's nothing to get. You're scared. Just admit that so we can move on to the reality of _this time _there is a significant chance you're pregnant." Caitlyn practically yelled.

I half screamed in frustration. "I don't want to be pregnant right now." I half cried.

"Well, if you are, the hardest part of your term would be during the summer, when you're not in class." Anastasia offered, trying to cheer me up. It didn't work too well, as I ended up glaring at her instead.

"Why don't we not think about this until we know for a fact?" Caitlyn offered. "Then we can legitimately freak out, _Shane included._"

"Fine." I sighed, too tired to fight anymore.

Caitlyn and Anastasia went back to the doctor with me the next week to hear my results. Dr. Masis walked into the room with a smug smile on his face. "Congratulations, Mrs. Grey. You're pregnant." He handed me the results from the blood-work, along with the numbers of a few Ob-Gyn's. "Do you have a gynecologist?" He asked.

"I hate her." I replied.

He chuckled. "Take a look at these then." He suggested.

I sighed as he walked back out of the room. Caitlyn and Anastasia looked expectantly at me. "Fine. When we get outside." I relented. They'd been pressuring me all week to call Shane literally as soon as I found out if I was.

I was pacing outside, listening to the phone ringing. With each passing ring, my heart rose higher into my throat. Shane managed to answer on the last ring. "Hey, ba-" He answered.

Cutting him off, I blurted my news before I chickened out. "I'm pregnant." I winced in anticipation of his response.

"I know." He replied simply. His voice couldn't have sounded happier, believe it or not.

"I'm sorry, what?" The wrong person in this conversation was stunned stupid.

"I know." He said again. "I just had a feeling with the smelling and your chest. And then you started throwing up." His voice was low as he explained.

"Why are you whispering?" I asked.

"Because I don't want to tell Nate and Jason yet. I'm sure you've told the girls, but I want to tell them with you. And I don't want anyone else overhearing." He explained.

"Oh." I said still stunned. "Oh and another question!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?!" I yelled at him.

He chuckled. "I wanted you to figure it out. I'm honestly surprised you didn't."

I sighed slightly peeved. "A heads up would have been nice when you realized I wasn't going to."

"You're the woman. You should be able to figure this out." He laughed.

"I'm going to hang up on you now." I warned.

"Love you!" He called out as I hung up the phone.

I was stunned honestly. I did not think Shane would have guessed I was pregnant before I had any idea. As I finally turned back to the girls, they were staring at me in confusion.

"What was that?" Caitlyn asked.

I huffed. "He knew." I pouted. "How did he know before we did?"

"Before _you_ did." Anastasia corrected. "We had our own suspicions."

I glared at them for the rest of the ride home. Why had no one thought to clue me in on the fact that they thought I was pregnant? Was I really that caught up in my own world that I didn't notice something like being pregnant?

By the time classes had started again, we'd gone to some pretty lengthy extremes to make sure no one knew I was pregnant. Poor Caitlyn had to deal with my throwing up in our room into a garbage can every morning. Faith's room and our room had music playing 24-7 to avoid anyone hearing said vomiting. I avoided the dining halls during breakfast as coffee made me sick.

Nate and Jason were still none the wiser either. I felt bad not telling them, but I really wanted to tell them in person. I agreed with Shane on that much. But the girls and I had a plan. We'd be going to England for Valentine's Day, where the guys were doing a special show.

But the days between were dragging on. I still had 3 weeks to wait, and the 3 that had already passed almost killed me. Between going to see Dr. Toledo and my classes, not to mention being _pregnant_ and hiding it, I was slowly losing it. Not the baby or my sanity! But my strength was being fade, both physically and emotionally. The whole ordeal was just draining. I just needed a break to rest and relax.

I laid in Shane's bed at the Grey house, not explaining why I was there on Wednesday night when I had class in the morning. No one in the house knew I was pregnant. I wanted to tell them with Shane. I was happy that the room smelled more like Shane again. After three weeks there, it was bound to up his scent again. Jacob was happy to see me as well. He laid curled up at my feet like always.

A random knock came to the door and Kevin peeked his head in the door. "Mitchie, you okay?" He asked.

"Come here." I requested, sitting up and patting the bed next to me.

He smiled and did so. "What's up?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked. He nodded in slight confusion. "I feel like crap."

He frowned slightly. "Why?" He asked.

"Because… of multiple reasons, really." I replied, leaning forward on my knees. "Physically, I'm just having trouble handling it." He opened his mouth to interrupt, but I kept going. "Emotionally… god, I'm a mess. Guilt sucks." I pouted.

"What is _it_? And why do you feel guilty?" He asked, placing a hand on my arm.

I shook my head. "I can't tell you what _it_ is yet. You're brother might be upset. I think he wants to tell you." I sighed. "But I told him over the phone. And I should have told him in person."

Thinking the worst, Kevin became alarmed. "Told him what? What did you do?" He demanded.

I smiled at him. "Nothing bad." I promised.

"Can you tell me, and we just won't tell him?" He asked.

I shook my head slowly no, then paused. "Will you act surprised when we tell you when we comes home?" I asked.

He crossed his heart. "Promise."

"No! You have to say the whole thing!" I giggled slightly.

He huffed but did it anyway. "Cross my heart and hope to die… I don't remember the rest, sorry." He shrugged.

"Fine." I leaned in even more and whispered. "I'm pregnant."

His reaction was not what I was expecting. "Mitchie…" He sighed. "Are you sure? Last time you thought you were-"

"No! This time I am." I laughed. "I promise. I went to the doctor and everything. Remember how sick I was during Christmas?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah… that was morning sickness?" I nodded. "Wow. Just… wow. So, I'm going to be an uncle." He smiled softly at first, but eventually it broke out into a huge grin. "Wow."

"I'm scared." I admitted.

"Why?" He asked concerned.

I sighed. "Because I'm just… afraid of how this is going to work out with me in school and Shane still making music. I just, I don't know." I leaned forward and laid my head against Kevin's shoulder. "I'm only 18. This is why people wait until they get married." He wrapped his arms around me comfortingly, rubbing my back.

"But you have an amazing husband. My brother would give up everything to take care of you, you know that right?" He spoke soothingly.

"That's what scares me the most, Kev. He says we'll work it out when he comes home. What _is_ home, Kevin? Your house? The apartment in NY? Where are he and I and the baby going to live?" I felt tears welling up as I grew frustrated.

"I don't have those answers. Have you talked to the girls at all?" He asked.

I wiped angrily at the tears. I really hated being all emotional. "Not about this. I made the mistake of saying to Cait that I didn't want to get my hopes up about being pregnant just for it to not be true again, and now she's convinced that I want this baby."

Kevin pulled back from me quickly. "What do you mean? You _don't_ want this baby?" He questioned.

"I do!" I replied instantly. "It's a matter of it being improbable that's the problem. It's the worst timing ever." I sighed.

Kevin smirked slightly at me. "Ya know, Shane came at the worst possible time for our parents." He reminded me.

I smiled. "You're right, Kev." I agreed. "How do you do that? Make everything make sense so easily? Shane does, too, but he rambles a bit to make that point."

He shrugged. "Skills." He replied simply.

I smiled, suddenly feeling very much relieved about the whole situation. Kevin was right: Shane's parents were _not_ anticipating him when he came. He was almost a burden when he was born, but everything was fine until the twins came. Even then, they still made it work. Somehow, they always managed to make everything suffice. I knew Shane and I were in a much better position than his parents were and that we could make everything work, too.

I was musing over the baby two weeks later when a sudden thought came to me. Knowing Shane was on stage at the time, I dialed Kevin. I found it easier to talk to him about baby things than the girls. They made me feel a tad stupid at times, yet Kevin didn't. Mostly, he just listened and then calmed my fears afterward.

As soon as Kevin answered, I bombarded him with questions. "What are the chances of me having twins?!" I demanded.

He chuckled. "Pretty slim." He replied. "They'd most likely be identical if you had them because only Nicky has the possibility to conceive twins because of our genetics. It gets passed down through Shane and I, but because we aren't female, it doesn't matter in our children's conception. Any daughters we have would have the possibility of twins, though."

I sighed in relief. "I don't think I could have handled twins." I admitted. Then curiosity peaked and I asked, "How do you know that anyway?"

"Health class, 8th grade." He stated. "Because we're twins, our teacher made special emphasis for Nicky and me. Usually, it gets glossed over."

"Oooh. Okay, well, now that that freak out is done, I'll talk to you later. I have a paper to finish." I replied.

"You're supposed to be doing a paper and you're off in lala land about the baby?" Kevin chuckled.

"Yup." I smiled brightly. "I really need to get this done if I want to be able to go see Shane for Valentine's Day."

"Okay, okay. Bye, Mitch." He laughed.

"Bye, Kev! Love you!" I hung up and resumed my paper. My evil-spinster-esque teacher had assigned a rather irritating assignment that was due on Valentine's Day -I'm convinced she's a sadist. Or just lonely and bitter.

Friday afternoon, I took my paper with me to her office hours. "Professor Miller?" I asked, knocking on his door.

"Michaela, what can I do for you?" She asked, looking me up and down with narrowed, appraising eyes.

"I wanted to turn my paper in early. I won't be in class on Monday." I informed, pulling out my paper.

"Oh." Her jaw ticked. "Did you _read_ your syllabus, Ms. Grey?" She asked.

"Yes. That's why I wanted to talk to you-" She cut me off.

"It clearly states that you _have_ to be in class to turn in any formal papers. Turning it in early due to an anticipated missed class will cost you a deduction on your grade."

"I'm not just skipping class. I'm going to be in England." I argued.

"Because your husband is famous does not mean you can simply skip class to go gallivanting in Europe." She reprimanded.

"I'm not _gallivanting_-"

"What, pray tell, is so important in England, Mrs. Grey?" She demanded.

"My _husband_." I replied with a voice as cold as ice. "Excuse me, Professor Miller, but I don't see why you're being so narrow minded about this. Instead of letting me explain myself, you've continuously cut me off from doing so. At least let me say my piece before you yell at me." Her jaw ticked again, but she waved her hand for me to continue. I sighed. "Shane and I just found out some… interesting personal news that I had to share with him over the phone. It's really not the type of news you should share over the phone." My eyes traveled her desk and saw a picture of her when pregnant with a man next to her. "How did you tell him you were pregnant?" I asked, curiously changing the subject a bit.

Her eyes narrowed. "Over the phone. I went to college on the other side of the country, so it was the only option at the time." She explained. "Why?"

"Then you should understand that some news needs to be shared in person. He already knows said news, but I need to see him. And what better time than Valentine's Day?"

Professor Miller sighed in resignation. "It's not fair for me to give special dispensation, Mrs. Grey."

"Then maybe you need to adjust your syllabus for special dispensations." I suggested.

She held out her hand for my paper. I happily handed it over. "Don't think you'll get away with this again, Mrs. Grey." She warned.

"He'll be home soon enough." I sighed. "Thank you, so much, Professor. I truly appreciate this."

"If this paper is not an A worthy paper, you _will_ receive that deduction, Michaela."

"Absolutely. I completely agree with that." I agreed and thanked her again.

After a nervous, excited, agonizingly long weekend, the girls and I were packed and anxiously waiting to leave and see our boys. Sunday afternoon we were boarding a plane to England. I could not wait to see Shane again and was quite curious as to what his reaction to _seeing_ me pregnant would be. I was only ten weeks along, but Caitlyn and Anastasia claimed I _glowed_. Whatever that meant.

* * *

Surely, this was going to be a trip to remember, I was sure.Tada. You know you love me. And Shane's in person reaction will make up for his over the phone reaction, otays? And, Allison, you know what scene is coming up. 'Dumbasses.' Haha.


	39. Chapter 39

OMJ! This is like the longest chapter EVER. Between ATCR and LKG. Seriously. It's 5500 words compared the ATCR 3500 and the LKG 2750. And by far, it's one of the best chapters ever, as well. There is one secular event in the chapter making it so long, too. And all three couples are there! I'm so proud of myself for this. I believe there's one or two more before AINE. Enjoy… and forgive Mitchie's… prowess, we'll call it, she's a bit… frisky… hormones and all. Lol. And I wrote the song... o.O

* * *

Chapter 39:

I was bouncing from foot to foot with anticipation. I simply could _not_ wait to see Shane. We were all jet lagged and decided to surprise the boys at sound check rather than at the hotel as originally planned. I still wasn't showing in my stomach, though my boobs had grown slightly, my hips were a little fuller, and I had bags under my eyes from a lack of sleep. Anastasia and Caitlyn were equally excited, and in better condition to my displeasure.

While biting my lip, I pushed the door to the club open with Caitlyn and Anastasia trailing me. The guys up on the small stage, playing and practicing. I smiled brightly, and the girls each wrapped an arm around my waist. "Ready?" Caitlyn asked.

"Ready." I nodded. Since they were in the middle of _When You Look Me In The Eyes, _I sat at a table in the center of the room. Each intimate table was decorated with roses and other assorted Valentine's decorations. Caitlyn and Anastasia were waiting out of sight. We had a plan, I tell you, a plan. I promise we weren't simply insane.

"Oooh oooh, yeah…." Nate finished up the song and I clapped. "What the- Mitchie!" At Nate's words, Shane barely put his guitar down before he leapt off of the stage. I stood up to greet him as the boys came down as well.

After a long, deep kiss, we parted. I watched his eyes flicker to my stomach as his hands rubbed my hips. "Hey." He spoke softly. His eyes were trained on my stomach now and his smile grew more and more as realization set.

"Hey, Daddy." I whispered, giggly slightly. His grin finally broke free at the name. Thankfully Nate and Jason weren't near us until after I spoke. "Hey, boys!" I hugged each of them. Jason spun me around. "Oh! Don't do that." I said, placing on hand on my stomach and one on my head.

"Oh, sorry, Mitch. Are you sick?" Jason asked.

"It's fine." I smiled knowingly toward Shane.

"Are-" Nate began.

"Excuse me," A small voice interrupted. "Are you done with sound check? We need to decorate the stage." The voice belonged a small petite blond with larger breasts than she needed. She was looking directly at Nate, leering, almost.

"Uh, no we're not, we really need to get everything-" Shane shot Nick a look that clearly said there-is-no-way-I'm-doing-sound-check-when-my-wife-is-here. "Uh, we can take a break for now. Thanks."

"Oh, good." She replied. "I love that song, by the way." She commented, placing her hand on his arm.

"Uh, thanks. I wrote it for my girlfriend." He replied, trying to discreetly move away from her.

"Too bad she's not here-" Nate's cell phone ringing cut her off.

"Hello?" Nate answered, not bothering to check the caller, simply happy for the interruption.

"Tell that blonde bimbo to back off before I beat her ass." I heard Caitlyn's voice seething through the phone. I smirked.

"What?" Nate stuttered. "Where are you?" He demanded.

Caitlyn emerged from where she was hiding. "Excuse me." She politely pushed the girl aside. "Hey." She smiled at Nate.

Nate didn't answer, instead he pulled her to him, kissing her happily. Jason stood awkwardly next to them.

"Stas isn't hiding somewhere, is she?" Jason asked hopeful.

I shook my head, doing my best to pretend. "Nope. She couldn't afford to miss class. Our teachers were more understanding than hers. But she said to say Happy Anniversary. And she sent a gift with us. I left it by the bar." I told him.

He nodded dejectedly, but headed toward the bar. A moment after he disappeared, a happy squeal was heard from Anastasia as Jason had spun her around.

"Mission accomplished." I told Caitlyn. The boys looked at us oddly.

"Huh?" Nate and Shane asked.

"We wanted to surprise each of you without you all knowing we were here." Caitlyn explained.

Shane and Nate laughed. "Mission accomplished." Nate agreed.

"Okay, we're heading back to the hotel. Anyone bothers me before I have to be here for the show, I kill them. Got it?" Shane instructed, already pulling me out of the room. The only response we got was laughter.

"When are we going to tell them?" I asked as we got into a car waiting outside. It occurred to me that the others were now momentarily stranded.

"Later. I want to enjoy you first." He smirked playfully, rubbing my thigh as he looked out the window.

"I can live with that." I agreed.

When we pulled up to the hotel, Shane was more than happy to stop and smile for the cameras waiting outside the hotel. Those were fun head lines: _Mitchie cutting school for a Valentine's rendezvous?_ Once we were inside though, it was a completely different story. He pulled me through the hotel lobby quickly, and was immensely impatient waiting for the elevator.

Finally, we were in the hotel room and my back was quickly pressed into the closed door. "Shane-" I gasped as he started kissing my neck and lifting my shirt slightly.

"I can't believe you're here right now." He spoke with the now all too familiar edge to his voice making it husky. His warm breath on my neck and ear was sending shivers through me.

"I am. I hopped on a plane just to come see you." I spoke as clear as possible though it was difficult while trying to suppress a moan.

"Wait-" He pulled back from my neck and looked at me through squinted eyes. "Are you supposed to fly? Is it safe for the baby?" I smiled hearing him sound so concerned.

"Yes. I can fly safely up to my third trimester. Then I should only fly when absolutely necessary. I just had to move around a lot while on the plane." I explained, kissing him softly.

"Okay, good." He replied and captured my lips again. After making out against the door for a while, he eventually pulled back. "Bed." He whispered, already leading me there.

I was gently pushed into sitting on the end of the bed. He carefully pulled my shirt up over my head, followed by the cami I wore underneath it in an attempt to flatten my chest and stomach a bit. I watched his eyes roam over my exposed flesh looking for any sign that I was in fact pregnant. He pouted ever so slightly at not finding one.

"I'm not far enough along, Shane…" I giggled at his face. He didn't reply. He pulled his own shirt over his head instead and crawled on to the bed with me. I shifted back so I was in the middle of the bed, and he followed.

He started kissing my lips, then my jaw, down my neck, across my chest, and to my stomach. He started at my stomach for a long while. "You are showing." He smirked in triumph.

"I am not." I replied giggling.

"Yes, you are." He traced the top of my stomach lightly a few times. "See this?" He kissed the tiny, barely there raise of my stomach.

"Shane, that doesn't mean anything. I was putting on weight before I got pregnant." I argued.

"You were not. You were loosing weight from being sick." He argued lightly. "And it does mean something. You aren't getting fat. You're getting pregnant."

"You just _had_ to prove I was showing, didn't you?" I teased.

He nodded enthusiastically before shrugging slightly. "I was actually hoping you'd be showing when I saw you." He admitted.

"Why?" I asked.

He looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I've been dreaming of you… and you have the sexy swollen stomach in them."

"Did you just say my pregnant stomach will be sexy?" I asked looking at him oddly.

He shrugged, now smirking at me. "Yeah." He moved to hover over me again, his lips an mere inch from my own. "Knowing my wife is pregnant because of me…" He nipped at my lip. "Sexiest thing in the world."

I giggled. "You are insane." I laughed, pushing on his chest.

"Maybe. But I'm crazy for you." He replied cheekily. "Which randomly reminds me that you aren't going to get the roses I sent you for Valentine's Day or the giant box of chocolates."

I shrugged. "Oh well. That just means that for once… my present trumps yours." I smirked playfully.

"Baby, the second the words 'I'm pregnant' came out of your mouth, you officially beat every present I could ever give you." He replied honestly, staring me deeply in the eyes. They held such an intense softness that I felt myself melting under them.

"Really?" I asked softly.

He kissed me gently, yet passionately. "Absolutely." He breathed against my lips. "There's nothing in this world that I can give you that even compares to how happy I was when you told me that." He pecked my lips again. "How happy I am right now." Another kiss. "How happy I'll be when I hold them for the first time."

"Shane…" I awed with tears in my eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing." He smiled. "I just want you to know how I feel, that's all. Oh, baby, don't cry." He laughed slightly as tears began slipping down my cheeks.

"I can't help it. Hormones." I blamed, wiping at them. He moved my hands and wiped them himself with his thumbs. "I love you." I whispered looking up at him with watery eyes.

"I love you, too." He replied, kissing me again. Things started getting heavy again and I felt Shane's lower half rub against my own. "Can we?" He asked nervously.

I nodded while laughing softly. "Yes, we can have sex. We can have sex until I don't want to anymore because it's uncomfortable."

He nodded in understanding. "Do you… want to?" He asked hesitantly.

"Since when do you ask if I want to have sex?" I asked, looking up at him with curious eyes.

"What?" He demanded. "I have before." He argued.

"You asked if I wanted to have sex after they took me off of birth control. The only reason you asked was because you were hoping I'd tell you that you didn't have to wear a condom." I replied.

He pouted but replied nonetheless. "I still asked."

I laughed. "Of course I want to have sex. I'm going through Shane-withdrawal." I teased.

"Oh really?" He leered. "In that case…" He trailed off.

When I woke up later, I was thirsty. After pulling on my cami and his boxers, I made my way into the kitchen of the boys' suite. My stomach looked fuller than the last time the boys had seen me in December, but despite what Shane thought I wasn't showing. I wasn't far enough along.

I opened the fridge and sought out apple juice. I smirked, seeing a bottle of Simply Apple. The Simply Orange brands were the only juices Shane could drink. I wasn't aware if they were available in England or if Shane pulled his rockstar card and had them sent to him. As I was setting the juice down on the counter, I heard Nate come in through the door.

He didn't seem like he was in a very good mood, but he stopped to talk to me anyway. "Wow, Mitchie, you've gotten curvier. Did you gain weight?" He asked. Jason came in not far behind Nate and smacked him in the head.

"Dude. Even I know not to tell a girl she's gotten fatter." He told him in a _hushed_ tone. I still heard him, as this _is_ Jason.

"I'm pregnant, you dumbasses." I replied, pushing past them to go back to Shane's room. I didn't see there shocked faces, but I didn't hear anything coming from them, so I knew they were in shock still.

"Hey, Momma." Shane said lazily, grinning at me from his position in bed. He was sitting up slightly, with one arm draped behind his head and the other resting on his stomach. "Where'd you go?" He asked.

"Juice." I replied, setting the glass on the night stand. I crawled into bed with Shane again, resting my head on his chest as he moved his arm off his stomach and wrapping it around me.

We sat in silence for a few moments before a loud "What?!" emanated from outside the room curtsey of Nate and Jason. A moment later, a frantic knocking came at the door.

"What?" Shane yelled through the door. "Come in." Nate and Jason came bursting in a moment later.

"You're pregnant?" They asked, still shocked. Caitlyn and Anastasia stood behind them laughing.

"No, she's totally lying." Anastasia replied sarcastically.

"Oh. That was mean." Jason said, suddenly disappoint.

"Jason." Nate said rolling his eyes.

"Oh! Sarcasm. Now _that_ was mean." He glared at Anastasia over his shoulder slightly.

Shane shook his head slightly at Jason before turning to look at me. "You told them?" He asked.

I shrugged innocently. "Nate called me fat?" I tried to reason.

"Ow!" Nate cried a moment later as Caitlyn and Anastasia both smacked him in the head. "I did not! I said she was curvier and asked if she'd put on weight. She was really skinny the last time we saw her." He defended.

Shane chuckled. "I guess I can forgive you for telling them without me." He kissed my head.

"Awww. Look at them." Caitlyn cooed. Shane's hand was resting on my stomach, rubbing small circles while my head laid on his chest. "I can't believe you're pregnant, Mitch."

"I know." Anastasia replied. "It's hard to grasp still. I'm sure once she starts showing I'll believe it."

"Oh, trust me. I can believe it." I replied. "I think waking up every morning puking is enough proof, but the other things are too."

"Oh, right. Forgot about that." Anastasia laughed.

Jason was overly excited by our news and was now bouncing slightly. "What are you gonna name it?" He asked.

We shrugged as the others all made their way into the room. "I don't eve know what gender the baby is yet, Jase." I replied.

"Oh. Well, do you have any ideas?" Anastasia asked.

"Well-" Shane started.

"No." I cut him off. "I refuse to have a Shane Junior." I stated. "That'd be asking for trouble."

Shane laughed sarcastically. "Not what I was going to say, actually." He pouted.

"What were you going to say?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I was thinking if we had a boy… to name him Justin." He spoke softly.

I felt tears well up in my eyes again. "Really?" I asked. He nodded. "You would do that for me? You'd name our first son after Justin and not you?" I asked.

He nodded again. "I was thinking Justin Cole or Justin Nicholas. For Justin and Nicole."

I smiled even more. "Justin Cole. I like it."

He kissed my head again. "I'm glad."

"With your luck, you'll have a girl." Nate warned, laughing.

"Justine." Shane replied. I looked up at him again with even wider eyes. "What? Justine Nicole…" He trailed off.

"You've really thought about this haven't you?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah." He admitted.

"Okay, everyone out." I demanded. "I feel the need to have my way with my husband." I smirked at him. His mouth dropped while various groans and laughs came as replies.

As the door closed behind them, I moved so I was straddling his lap. "What's gotten into you?" He asked.

"Nothing yet." I replied seductively.

His eyes glazed over. "Tease." He remarked.

Instead of falling asleep afterward like normal, we laid in each others arms talking quietly. We were talking about random things, nothing of major importance alone, but at the moment they were.

"Oh, by the way. Kevin knows I'm pregnant." I told him.

"Why?" He asked. "I thought we were telling everyone but the girls together?"

I shrugged. "I was at your house one night, he came in to check on me, we started talking, he said I could tell him what was wrong and that we wouldn't tell you he knew. But I figured I'd tell you anyway. I talk to him about it a lot actually. He knows how I'm handling everything better than the girls do. They don't seem to understand a lot of what I'm worrying about. Kevin just calms me down. In a way, it's like having you there."

He nodded before a playful smile formed on his lips. "You aren't movin' on to my brother are you?"

I gasped. "Jailbait much?" I laughed. "I'm going to be 19 in two months. He's still underage. Maybe if he was older…" I teased.

"Nah, I understood what you meant. He and I are a lot alike in that way." Shane replied.

"Yeah, you are." I agreed. "What time do you have to be at the club for the show?" I asked, noting the time on the clock next to us.

"The show starts at 7... The club opens at 6... Nate will want a dress rehearsal at 5... 6:55." He finally settled on.

"Wait, what?" I asked confused. "Don't you mean 4:55? If Nate wants a rehearsal, that is."

Shane laughed. "Please. Do you really think I'm going to do a dress rehearsal when I only have today with you for another 3 weeks?"

I smiled. "I don't want you upsetting Nate." I replied.

"He has Cait to entertain him." Shane argued, dismissing the problem.

"Well, it's 4:30 now. I'm going to go take a shower." I told him, climbing out of his bed and slipping on his t-shirt.

"You're coming to the show tonight, right?" He asked, sitting up and resting on his arms. He was looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Of course." I replied smiling. "I even brought a dress with me. The hotel moved our stuff into your suite. It's out in the living room. Could you bring it in here for me?"

"Which one is yours?" He asked, already swinging his legs out from under the blanket. "And where did I throw my boxers when I took them off of you before?" He was looking around for them. I saw them near me and chucked them at his face. "That wasn't nice."

I chuckled. "The green ones." I answered his early question and disappeared into the bathroom.

After my shower, I emerged in a towel. I jumped, slightly startled to find a half naked Caitlyn in my room. "What the- Cait, where the hell is Shane? And why are you in his room half dressed?"

"I'm getting dressed." She replied childishly. "And Shane is yelling at Nate." She said softly.

"Why?" I asked worriedly, sitting next to her on the bed as she pulled on panty-hoes.

"I was crying… and Shane asked why… and I told him… and he flipped out… and started yelling at Nate… and they haven't stopped since." She vaguely explained.

"Why were you crying?" I asked.

She sighed. "He was complaining that they needed to be rehearsing and he knew Shane wouldn't. And I tried to get him to calm down and cheer up and remember that his girlfriend was here… and he ignored me mostly.

"He was all _'That doesn't help our show at all. You guys being here is just a distraction._' I left the room and was crying in the living room when Shane came out to get your stuff…" She trailed off as the yelling entered the living room and came close to the room.

"You're an idiot. I hope you realize that." Shane shouted.

"Forgive me for not being as smooth as you." Nate shot back.

"You don't tell your girlfriend, who you plan on _marrying_ that she's a distraction!" Shane argued.

Nate was silent for a moment. "I was caught up in business again." He sighed.

"I know that. But you _really_ need to learn how to handle both, man. How are you going to handle it when you have a family _and_ the band?" Shane asked.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot, now you're going to have a family, not just a wife. Forgive me for being a bit slow in comparison." Nate scoffed.

"What is your problem?" Shane asked. "Why are you getting mad at me? I just told you that you were being an ass for making Cait cry because you were being stupid."

"Because you have it all, Shane." Nate exploded. "You have the perfect wife who isn't afraid of that commitment. You have the baby on the way. And you manage to be able to handle all of that and your career."

Shane sighed while Caitlyn looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Come on, Nate. You don't really think that do you? That I have all that and you don't? Yeah, I have a baby on the way. But Mitchie wasn't always so willing to be this committed, remember? She decided she didn't want to wear her engagement ring for like 6 weeks after I proposed! You know how much that hurt?" He asked. I looked down at my lap. I hadn't realized how much it had hurt him when I did that. "Caitlyn's at least honest with you about not being ready so you don't end up with a rejection."

Nate sighed. "I guess, you're right. I guess I only see the good things and not everything between the two of you."

"Nate, man, you need to stop being… envious… and comparing yourself and Caitlyn to me and Mitchie." Shane advised. "But right now, you really need to go apologize to Caitlyn. This has got to be a shitty Valentine's Day for her."

"Oh fuck." Nate swore. "I completely forgot it was Valentine's Day." He moaned.

"You, my dear friend, have a lot of apologizing to do." Shane commented, before knocking on our door.

"Sha-" Nate began before Shane stuck his head in the door.

"Can we come in?" He asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

Shane came in and kissed my head as he passed, heading toward the bathroom to shower. He was still clad only in his boxers. I awkwardly began getting dressed while Nate and Caitlyn began talking.

"I'm sorry." Nate said softly. "I've apparently been a major ass. I shouldn't have said that. It came out wrong."

"You called me a distraction. How else could that have come out?" Caitlyn spat at him, not giving him the satisfaction of her entire attention. She continued to get dressed and not look at him.

"I know. And you are. But not in the way I made it sound. We're going to be distracted the whole show because we'll be singing to you and forgetting about our audience. This show is important. But… I need to remember you're more important." She stopped getting dressed but didn't say anything yet. "At home, when we're only recording, I can remember that we're only human and that you matter more. But when I'm on tour… and I'm not around you 24-7, my priority shifts. And it's hard for me to drop the business mode instantly upon seeing you." Nate continued trying to explain himself.

"You don't get it, Nate. You never do. It's never what you do… it's what you say. You _always_ say it wrong. And it hurts." Caitlyn explained.

"I know that. I've been so good at home, Caity." Nate argued moving close enough to grab her hand. "I just need to get better at changing modes quickly."

"I understand that you need to worry about business, you have a show tonight. But, damn it, Nate…" She shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry." He said softly again, seeing her resolve being to break. "I just, I was jealous." He admitted. "And I let it get to me, and take it out on you."

Caitlyn looked at him puzzled. "How were you jealous? And what the hell does that have to do with this argument?" She asked.

"Because… I was… jealous that Shane's going to be a dad and I'm not even engaged to the love of my life… and I can't blame you for that. It matters because I was mad that he dropped all of the priorities of the show for Mitchie. I don't know why that bothered me… but, sometimes I just wish it was as easy for us as it is for them…"

"It's not easy for them, Nate… you may be jealous that Shane's going to be a dad… but trust me… I'm not jealous of Mitchie. Think about it in business terms… do you really want to be them right now?" Caitlyn asked.

He cracked a half smile. "For once, Caity, I can't. That's the one thing I can't think of in those terms. I _want_ a family. I want a family with _you_. But you have to be ready for that first. And I'll gladly wait until all the color fades from the world and the sun no longer rises if I have to. But it doesn't mean I don't want them any less."

"You really can't think of all the backlash this is going to give them? And all of the stress and the strain? She's still in school… and Connect 3 is as big as ever." Caitlyn pointed out. I knew I was technically not involved in the conversation, but it made me feel kind of put out. I felt arms wrap around me though, and realized Shane had finished his shower.

Nate cradled Caitlyn's face in his hands, and brought her face closer to his. "It doesn't matter. It wouldn't matter. The sheer joy from it all would be enough to make it all fade." He sighed softly. "Caity, I've thought about all of that before. Shane and I talked all of this out when they got married. We made a pact, a promise, that our families would always come before Connect 3."

"You did?" Caitlyn squeaked. He nodded, smiling. "Nate…" She sighed softly. Shane kissed the top of my head.

"I know I screwed up today. I'm so sorry for ruining your Valentine's Day…" Nate began.

"Valentine's Day is just another day, Nate. I was just hurt by what you said…" Caitlyn trailed off.

"I know. I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He asked. She kissed him softly.

"Good, can you get dressed in your own room now?" Shane asked, interrupting their moment.

Nate and Caitlyn smiled and left our room, Caitlyn's stuff in hand. I began doing my hair while Shane towel dried himself. I laughed to myself as I began curling my normally straight hair and Shane straightened his naturally curly hair.

"What do you think they'll have?" I asked randomly.

"What?" Shane asked looking at me oddly.

"The baby." I replied. "What do you think they'll have? Hair wise, I mean. Curly or straight or wavy? And my brown or your black? I know they'll have brown eyes…" I trailed off, thinking of my unborn baby.

"I think… they're going to be beautiful, just like they're mother." He answered, kissing my head. "Ow. You're hair is hot." He complained.

"So is yours." I replied. He laughed and finished straightening his hair as I finished curling mine.

As we were getting dressed, Shane laughed at me. I was self-consciously looking in the mirror standing in my heels, stockings, underwear and bra. "Can you really tell?" I asked, running my hand over my stomach.

"You have to look very close." Shane commented as he slipped his red and gold tie around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "And if anyone gets that close, we're going to have some serious issues, Mrs. Grey." His finger tips grazed my stomach.

"Well, then you are going to be the only one able to tell for awhile, my dear Mr. Grey." I replied.

"Good." He kissed my cheek and continued getting dressed. "Are you almost ready? Cause we have to leave in a little bit."

"I just have to put on my dress, my make-up, and my jewelry." I replied.

"Do you have your wedding ring on?" He asked. I nodded in reply. "Then you don't need anymore jewelry." I felt myself melt at his words. "And you don't need make-up, you look beautiful without it."

"Nice try. Remember, I don't take as long as you do, Shane." I teased.

He didn't reply. Instead he watched me through glazed eyes as I slid on my tight fitted maroon dress, careful not to tear it with my heels. It was a strapless sweetheart cut and flared at the knees. I looked extra curvy in it.

Shane paused mid motion of pulling on his vest. "You okay?" I asked. "And can you zip me up?"

That seemed to snap him out of his reverie, as he finished putting on his vest and zipped up my dress. "I'll be unzipping that later." He whispered huskily in my ear.

"I know." I replied smirking.

"Hurry up." He commanded, kissing my cheek and heading out into the living room, afraid we'd never leave if he stayed. We left ten minutes later.

The show was amazing. Every one of their love songs was played, just about. And they explained each song and who wrote it and for who.

"I wrote this on our honeymoon on our way to Greece. I think you can figure out what it's about." Shane stated before singing.

"I wrote this on tour when we first started dating and I was missing Caitlyn like crazy. Shane's complaining was finally good for something." Nate commented.

"You're in for a special treat tonight. Well a few. But this one is solely because my wife is in the audience. You get to hear the original version of Gotta Find You, seeing as it's our wedding song." Shane explained.

But the biggest surprise of all was for Anastasia. "Many of you know that I've recently gotten engaged." Jason began. "And it was about time I wrote her a song. Happy Anniversary, Stas."

"Wanna tell you how I feel," Shane began singing, "But I don't know the words. You're all I think about at night, when I'm all alone. Just thinking of your smile, girl it sends me wild. I just don't know how to tell you that."

"This world it gets so crazy, but with you, I can make it through." Nate sang. "I need you to know,"

"I need you to know…" Shane and Jason sang behind him.

"You're all I want and all I need. Just one you and just one me. But how do I tell you that?" Nate finished the chorus.

Shane sang the next verse. "I could say you're the jelly to my peanut butter. That I'm just not right without you right next to me. But that makes it seem so immature, seem not as pure. I just don't know how to tell you that."

Nate repeated the chorus and began the bridge. "How do I tell you that? How do I let you know? Girl, you're all that's on my mind… it's just so hard to show-" He held the note. "I just don't know how to tell you that."

Shane sang the last verse. "If I could only tell you this and make you understand. Do you know how I'm feeling these days without you around? I need you right here next to me, girl why can't you see?"

The three finished the song together. "That I just don't know how to tell you… how much, I love you." Nate hummed a few notes as the guitars faded out.

Anastasia was crying. "I don't understand." She said. "How doesn't he know how to tell me? He just did!"

Jason came down off the stage, seeing Anastasia's tears. "Why are you crying?" He asked.

"You think I don't understand?" She asked.

"Stas…" he sighed, holding her face. "I know you do. But sometimes it really feels like _I love you_ is so not enough to really convey how I feel. And… you know… Shane and Nate helped me write it, so… there may be a tad bit more Nate than there should be in there." She laughed, wiping away her tears.

"That makes more sense." She said.

"But sometimes you don't understand what I mean because my words don't come out right." Jason explained.

"That's true." She agreed. "Go finish you're show." She pushed him back toward the stage.

"Thank you, everyone. We hope you enjoyed yourselves tonight." Shane said into the microphone after Jason rejoined them. "That was our last song of the night."

Clapping was heard as the three bowed and headed off stage. It was definitely a Valentine's Day to remember.

* * *

So… what'd ya think? You know you love me.


	40. Chapter 40: The End

_Sniffle._ Well, here it is. The last chapter of LKG. It's heavy on the dialogue, I'm aware, but it was quite difficult to break it up. It's just like the last chapter of ATCR, it's most just that final scene that wraps everything up but leads into the next. You could end the series here, if you want, without many lingering questions. But at the same time, if you want to know what happens with Smitchie, and Naitlyn, and Janastasia, and Nicky, Kevin, Riley, and any thing else, you'll have to read. As promised -threatened- I'm taking a small break from this series, but I hope to have the next story up absolutely no later than Thanksgiving. Trust me, it probably won't take me 5 weeks to write a few chapters to get myself started before posting the new story, but- I promise to have it started by then. It's been a long, glorious ride so far. 71 Chapters of something that started as me being bored with a lack of good CR fics and randomly writing my own. I recall the original summary saying I have no idea where this is going… and look how far its come. Thank you all so much for the support. As of right now, I have 2940 reviews. More than likely by the time the reviews are done for this chapter, LKG will have broken 3000 reviews. I cannot express my sheer gratitude and how much I appreciate it. I apologize if I seem to have gotten cocky over the last few weeks. Anyway, on to the chapter. Sorry if it seems entirely too short. And yes, its mushy between Shane and Mitchie. Deal. Lol. XD

* * *

Chapter 40: The End

I think the three weeks I had to wait for Shane to come home were worse than the three months I'd had to wait before that. Our Valentine's Day was amazing, but coming home had been hard. I didn't want to leave him again. I just wanted to stay in his arms forever. Unfortunately, school was waiting.

But Shane would be home tomorrow and I was excited. Paranoia had taken over ever since Shane swore I was showing, too. I now had a slight bump -still nowhere near _showing_, but that small rise he saw had become more pronounced. I was now at 14 weeks and a tad round. I knew from reading online that I'd start showing soon. I'd gain more weight and in the next 6 weeks I'd be showing. Right now, I could still get away with being chubby.

I didn't really sleep that night due to my excitement. I was at the house talking to Kevin, about my inability to sleep to be exact.

He yawned sleepily as I continued talking. "I can't _believe_ you and Savannah broke up!" I stressed for the third time.

He sighed. "Mitch, it happens. It was getting boring between us." He shrugged.

"But you were so _perfect_ for one another." I pouted.

"We're still friends." He sighed, again. "We just aren't physically together anymore. The next step in our relationship was sex and she didn't want it…" He admitted.

"You didn't _have_ to have sex, Kev. I would have hoped you knew that."

"You don't understand, Mitch. She didn't want to have sex… _with me. _That's why we aren't together." I looked at him confused.

"Wait, what? Explain that… more." I commanded.

He looked away from me. "I don't… tickle her fancy." He tried.

"Kevin… are you saying she's not… _attracted_ to you?" I asked. He nodded. "Awwwww, Kev. You are attractive. What is wrong with her?"

"Apparently, jocks are more her type than theatre kids." He shrugged again. "Can we, just, drop it? Let's talk about the baby." He tried to change the subject.

"No. Kevin, how does someone date for over a year and then just decide they aren't _attracted_ to you?" I demanded.

"I don't know, Mitchie." He yelled at me slightly. "I'm sorry. I, just, I don't get it. We were perfectly fine until _Chas_ decided he wanted my girlfriend." Kevin's never gotten angry with me before. It was startling to see the least and I could see he didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry. Let's talk about the baby." I said softly. "I told you Shane's suggestions for names, right?" One definite good thing about this baby was the easy subject change they made.

"Yeah. Justin Cole. I don't really like Justine Nicole though. I think you should name a son after Justin. If it's a girl, name it something else." Kevin offered his opinion.

"Well, what would _you_ name your niece?" I inquired, not having any idea where to start with girls' names.

"Hmm… Maybe, Melody. Or Cecilia." He suggested.

"Really?" I asked. "Why?"

"Well, Melody… obvious. But Cecilia is the patron saint of music and musicians." He explained.

"Your brother would love that!" I exclaimed. Shane was oddly religious in his own way and Cecilia would be perfect. "Cecilia what though?"

"Cecilia… Aine… or Anne…" He decided. "Our grandmother's name was Aine."

"I like that." I agreed. "So, you are either Justin Cole or Cecilia Anne." I spoke to my stomach.

"Nice." Kevin laughed at me talking to my unborn child.

"Oh! Look." I lifted my shirt over my stomach and laughed at Kevin's comical expression. I was showing him my slightly stomach when I heard a cough from the door way.

"I thought you _weren't_ replacing me with my brother?" Shane asked.

"Shane!" I shrieked, running over to him. After throwing my arms around him, I explained. "I was just showing him my stomach. Look." I lifted my shirt to show him the tiny bump.

His eyes glazed over slightly. "That's awesome, baby." He said softly. "Kev. How's it been?" He asked, pulling himself away from me to greet his brother.

"I have this crazy pregnant sister-in-law flashing me." He replied playfully hugging his brother.

"You know you liked it." I replied as Shane wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

He looked away. "Maybe." He said before laughing at the look on Shane's face. I leaned up and kissed Shane's cheek. "So, when are you going to tell everyone else?"

"Whenever Mitchie's ready." Shane shrugged.

"Soon as everyone's together." I shrugged as well. "Oh! We named the baby if they're a girl." I told Shane.

"Huh? We? They?" He asked, confused.

"Kev and me. He didn't like Justine Nicole…" Shane shrugged indifferently. "Anyway… Cecilia Aine."

"Where'd you get Anne from?" He asked looking at me with a small smile.

"Aine was your grandmother's name… wasn't it?" I asked.

"Wait, so you're using Aine not Anne?" He asked.

"See, I can barely tell the difference between the two. But yeah, Aine. It's Gaelic, right?" I guessed.

Shane nodded. "Yeah. My grandparents were Irish and Scottish." He explained. "Okay, now where did Cecilia come from, Kev? Did you just like it?"

"Patron saint of music and musicians…" Kevin said simply.

"I like it. Cecilia Aine Grey." Shane repeated smiling down at me. "Nice, Kev."

"Cecilia Aine and Justin Cole." I said looking down at my stomach.

"Wait, are there two babies? You keep saying they…" Shane finally asked.

"No. I just don't like calling the baby It. Have you ever read that book?" I asked the boys.

They looked at each other and shared confused looks. "We've seen the movie." Shane offered.

"You've never heard of the book A Child Called It_?_" I asked. They stared blankly back at me. "It's about the worst documented case of Child Abuse ever. It was just… disgusting to read about. I just… whenever I refer to a baby as it, I get freaked out thinking about that."

"Oh." Was all they could say in reply.

"Wait, delayed reaction. Why are you home early?" I demanded of Shane.

"I wanted to surprise you." He answered smiling. "Hey, Kev, do you think you could…" Shane trailed off.

"Go blast music and trying to block the mental images of you two having sex? No problem." Kevin shuddered a bit as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Did you say hi to Nicky yet?" I asked.

He shook his head no. "She's out with _Chuck_." Shane spat the poor guy's name out like it was something utterly foul.

"You don't even know him. He's not that bad. And you couldn't expect her to be with Riley forever, could you? Even Savannah and Kevin broke up." I argued.

He groaned. "I know. That means I have to remember another one's name."

"You know, Shane, you and the guys didn't find 'the one' until you were 18 and 19. They're teenagers. Let them be." I pointed out.

"So? You were 16." He argued back.

"And I was scared." I replied. "If it's meant to be it'll be. You can't stop it. If it's not, you can't force it." I smiled at him softly. "If it's meant to be between Riley and Nicky, it'll happen. Though, I'm not sure her recent lifestyle choices are going to be such a great thing for that possibility."

Shane looked at me oddly. "You made no sense on that last part."

I sighed. "Nicky's… well… she's decided to… um, I don't think I'm supposed to tell you…" I stumbled.

"That she's _fucked Chuck_?" He spat out again.

"Shane!" I smacked his chest and placed a hand on my stomach. "I get that you're angry but don't curse around the baby.

He calmed almost instantly and wrapped his hands around my hips. "I'm sorry. I already knew, though. She told Riley. I just, I don't get it… Isn't she the same girl that contemplated sleeping with Riley after _a year_ and flipped when he told her he loved her? How does she randomly just hook up with Chuck like that? I don't get it!" He yelled slightly, though not at me.

"She told Riley?" I asked, slightly enraged. "What is _wrong_ with her?" I, myself, yelled. I tried to leave our room to go yell at her, but Shane grabbed my arm lightly and pulled me back.

"A. She's not here. B. Getting worked up like this is not good for the baby." He told me softly, trying to calm me down.

"You're right. Hormones. Sorry." I sighed. It was still wrong.

"I already freaked out. I know. I just don't know my baby sister anymore, Mitch." He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

I sat next to him, rubbing his back as he dropped his head into his hands. "You okay, babe?" I asked.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye, head still in his hands. "I'm just scared." He admitted. "I don't want to ever drift from our kids like I have from Nicky."

"That won't happen." I assured him. I took his hands away from his face and placed one on my stomach. "We're going to raise them with an open mind. They're going to know they can come to us about everything and hopefully they won't drift from us. But if it does happen, so be it."

"You… are going to be an excellent mother." He kissed me.

I smiled and looked down. "Really? I don't think so. I'm so scared to be a mother."

"We're going to be fine as parents. I promise." He assured me, caressing my stomach with his hand that was resting on it.

"I'm so happy you're home." I smiled at him.

"Me, too." He sighed holding me tightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You know, we have a lot to figure out now that I'm home." He said, as I laid back on the bed. He followed, laying his head so it rested on my just below my stomach. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Like what?" I asked. "I'm sorry, right now I can't think past how happy I am that your home now."

"Where are we going to live?" He asked. "Are you staying on campus while I stay here? Am I going back to New York? Are you going to stay here with me? Or… do you, do you _want_ to get an apartment in Boston? Near campus?"

"I think our own apartment would be good." I decided.

"Okay, so, tomorrow, I'll start looking." He said, kissing my stomach. I giggled.

"Any other pressing matters?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing important right now."

"Do the boys know what they're going to do?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Jason's going to get an apartment up here, too. I know Nate's going back to Pennsylvania soon. But I don't know where he's going to live permanently. He'll probably bounce back and forth between his house in Pennsylvania and either our apartment or Jason's."

"What about the New York apartment?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to move everything out sometime in the next couple weeks. I think Jason and Nate are going to move back in until we get everything out. If you weren't pregnant, I'd go with them. But I don't want to miss any more." Shane explained.

"Oh. Well, the baby won't start kicking for another two weeks and I have an appointment next week. You could go this week." I suggested.

He shook his head. "Nuh uh. Not missing anything else."

I smiled at him. "So, what do you want?" I asked randomly changing the subject.

"What do I want, what?" He asked.

"A boy or a girl?" I reiterated.

He shrugged. "I want a healthy baby." He replied while caressing my stomach. "Whether this little one is Justin Cole or Cecilia Aine, I'm good."

"I'm going to laugh hysterically if I'm pregnant at Jason and Stas' wedding." Shane looked at me oddly. "Stas is going to try to plan her wedding for this summer. She doesn't want to wait forever."

"Oh." Shane smiled. "Didn't Jayden jinx you guys into saying it'd be funny if you were pregnant at one of their weddings?"

"I forgot about that!" I laughed. "Well, I think Stas could handle it better than Caitlyn."

"I think he's going to propose soon." Shane said smiling lazily.

I looked at him slightly confused. "Who? Nate?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I think that conversation in our room about him wanting a family really hit home for her. Nate said she's been talking about little Baby Grey non-stop lately."

I smiled and rubbed my stomach. "Oh, that reminds me." I said. "We're gonna have to tell the press soon."

Shane laughed. "Oh yeah, I can see that press conference. Mitchie's pregnant. No, I hate using condoms. She had to be taken off of it due to irregularities. We're willing to take whatever God throws at us and he threw our little one at us. No, we don't know the sex, and we aren't going to find out-"

"We aren't?" I interrupted his hypothetical press conference.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't _want_ to know. You can, find out, I mean, if you want. But I don't want to. And the press doesn't have to know if we do or we don't."

"Very true." I agreed. "Are we going to sell pictures of our baby?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"No." Shane stated firmly without thinking. "If they happen to get pictures when we're out with the baby, that's fine. But there won't be any 'exclusive rights to the baby's first pictures' or anything."

"You're amazing." I smiled down at him.

"I know." He thought for a moment. "Actually… What you say if we gave Cosmo the first picture of you and the baby?"

"Why not the three of us?" I asked. "And what do you _give_?"

"Because I'll be the one taking the pictures." He smiled. "And like, free of charge, said here. I refuse to make money off of our baby… but… I want to share them with the world. They're going to be just as beautiful as their mother."

"I love you." I spoke softly. He lifted himself up from my stomach and laid next me, kissing me softly.

"I love you, too."

I fell asleep in Shane's arm that night with the blissful knowledge that for now, there was no looming departure waiting on the horizon. He was amazing. Utterly, truly, perfectly amazing. I often found myself wondering when the blissful feelings I got from him would end. When the happy life we were building would crumple and we'd be just another Hollywood marriage. When our friends would stray from us. When life would pull us apart and we'd be miserable. When life as we knew it would just… end. But it doesn't. Life keeps going and it never ends.

* * *

Bree is very sad. She shall miss LKG. Just as she misses ATCR. But! she knows that... _It Never Ends_. :)


	41. Sequel AN

Thank you again to everyone who has left me a review, fav'd me/ATCR, or alert'd me/ATCR. And an even bigger thank you to everyone who followed me into LKG, which doubled the amount of reviews I've received. I've also won a few awards for my stories and my author-ingness. The new story will be up shortly. And It Never Ends.

**Okay, so now go click Devil Pup and click on And It Never Ends**. Or keep refreshing the page til it shows up. Hope you like it.

XO-Bree


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